NEED ADVICE on a rifle for deer.

[Edzzed]

This is my first post ever on a hunting site so go easy. I have a POL license and .22 but just did the PAL upgrade thing with the exam. Waiting for my PAL now. I have done a lot of fishing but want to get into deer. What would be a sufficient caliber rifle to buy. I have zero intentions o going after anything but deer now or ever in the future. I tend to like deer meat on the bbq. I searched on here for rifles, deer and more. I know everyone has their opinions and yes I like my GMC. Just hoping someone has experience of many rifles and can point me in the right direction. Fwiw I am 6ft 180 lbs. 52 and reasonably fit. Thanks

[Fella]

Can't go wrong with the good ol'30-06

[Chopper]

Your opinion about only chasing deer WILL eventually change.

But I agree with Fella ... A good 30 cal , I prefer the 300wsm myself ... Sort of the new 30'06

A nice Remington 700 CDL or another model of Rem 700 is what I would go for as far as the actual rifle

[finngun]

270win... any deer,moose big or small...:mrgreen: close or far out ..no big kick..just learn to shoot well..:wink:

[Johnny G1]

Depending on where you live, a 243-257-2506 will kill your deer, they are not that big.

[todbartell]

243 will do the job nicely. Put a 90-100gr bullet in the vitals inside 300 yards and it has plenty of jam, with minimal recoil and relatively low cost ammunition. Lots of rifles to choose from too, pick the one that feels best inside your budget and top it with the best riflescope you can afford

[Chopper]

I love these threads ... By the end of it he might as well open a Nosler reloading manual to the middle and pick the first cartridge he lands on lol

[416]

If deer was the only species, l would stick with a short action round....308,7/08,.243 any one of them would work fine.

[snow]

so many different opinions :-) i only have the .22 LR myself too, but here is a chart from the core book.... since you are asking what would be sufficient:

http://i1031.photobucket.com/albums/y373/snowbc/ammochart_zps87239e7d.jpg (http://s1031.photobucket.com/user/snowbc/media/ammochart_zps87239e7d.jpg.html)

[Bag1]

270win... any deer,moose big or small...:mrgreen: close or far out ..no big kick..just learn to shoot well..:wink:
X2 This, and also a very flat shooting cartridge

[bc_buckshot]

Everyone has there choice of deer gun. As long as you follow that chart and legal cant go wrong. Best gun for deer is the right gun that you shoulder best and you fell comfortable. A caliber that wont make you shot flinch. Go to range and ask people if you can try there caliber.
My rilfe and wont change is 7mm reg mag. Why, because thats all i shot since my teens.

[Edzzed]

so many different opinions :-) i only have the .22 LR myself too, but here is a chart from the core book.... since you are asking what would be sufficient:

http://i1031.photobucket.com/albums/y373/snowbc/ammochart_zps87239e7d.jpg (http://s1031.photobucket.com/user/snowbc/media/ammochart_zps87239e7d.jpg.html)That's an interesting chart. I missed that in the book. I had no worries of failing the test so basically challenged the test and took the full course. I was gonna take the book home to read but the wife now wants a rifle so I get to help her after she reads it. They did tell us at the cfst course to buy a decent rifle with a good scope. I can do that. What would have more kick, .270 or 30-06 and which ammunition will be cheaper. I don't wanna see the wife hurt her shoulder. She is 5-5 and 124 lbs.

[hare_assassin]

I love my .270 Win, and I can recommend it without hesitation. I also think 7mm-08 and .25-06 are worth considering.

[Chopper]

so many different opinions :-) i only have the .22 LR myself too, but here is a chart from the core book.... since you are asking what would be sufficient:

http://i1031.photobucket.com/albums/y373/snowbc/ammochart_zps87239e7d.jpg (http://s1031.photobucket.com/user/snowbc/media/ammochart_zps87239e7d.jpg.html)

So you cant use a .300 savage with a 180 on a G bear but you can use a .308 win ?

You can shoot ground hogs with all those cartridges !

[todbartell]

What would have more kick, .270 or 30-06 and which ammunition will be cheaper. I don't wanna see the wife hurt her shoulder. She is 5-5 and 124 lbs.

they're pretty similar but the 30-06 will thump a bit more due to the heavier bullets. If your wife will be sharing the rifle I definitely stand by my suggestion of the 243 Win

[J-F]

You don't sound like the type to start reloading... A visit to Canadian Tire (or equivalent) to see what is redily available at a reasonable price will teach you a lot. Nothing wrong with a 308, a 270 or a 30-06 for deer hunting. Even a good old 303! And you'll still have enough power to go on a bigger hunt if you choose to.

The 243 is good for deer, but matter of debate on any larger ungulate. I know, we have seen the other guy's nephew shoot a bull elk with a 6mm on this forum, it's still not what most would choose as a first pick.

There are many other cartridges that will do the job well on deer. If you are going to start reloading, just take the rifle you like. If you're o.k. paying a bit more for ammo, or stock piling when you find some available, same thing. If you prefer to stay away from any difficulty when getting ammunitions... that visit to your local goods store will tell you what you want to buy.

Other advices on the proper fit of the rifle you choose are also very important. Make sure you're happy shouldering the gun... and make sure you're happy carying the gun too, you do that 99% of the time!

Good luck!

[hare_assassin]

That's an interesting chart. I missed that in the book. I had no worries of failing the test so basically challenged the test and took the full course. I was gonna take the book home to read but the wife now wants a rifle so I get to help her after she reads it. They did tell us at the cfst course to buy a decent rifle with a good scope. I can do that. What would have more kick, .270 or 30-06 and which ammunition will be cheaper. I don't wanna see the wife hurt her shoulder. She is 5-5 and 124 lbs.
.270, lighter bullets, flatter shooting, less kick. But if you are concerned about your wife, go for a .243, or a .260.

[Chopper]

.270 has far less kick than a 30'06 ... probably in the range of %30


I personally would recommend a .270 over a .243 for dear all day

[Chopper]

Get this in 7-08 or .270 , 6.5 lbs ... Done ! $1000 ...

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire/model-700/model-700-mountain-ss.aspx

[snow]

you can search for a recoil table too, here is an example: http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

[Fella]

If you're sharing with your wife I'd agree with what a few other have said and go for the .243. My wife is similar size to yours and she really has to brace herself when shooting my 06. She'll take a few shots and then she's had enough.

[todbartell]

the classic 30-06 deer load would be a 150gr @ 2950 fps (19 ft lbs recoil energy in 8lb rifle)

classic 270 Win deer load, 130gr @ 3050 fps (17 ft lbs recoil energy in 8lb rifle)

that's about 10% less recoil


.........243 w/ 100gr @ 2950 fps in a 7lb rifle would muster up 10 ft lbs, which is 2 ft lbs less than a 30-30 carbine w/ 150gr ammo (12 ft lbs)

[Weatherby Fan]

I would look at the 243 or the 7mm-08 if you intend to share with your wife.

Make sure the rifle fits your wife as you will want a youth sized rifle to fit her stature.

[moosinaround]

Just buy a 30'06, or a 25-06, or a 270 win, or a 280 rem, or a 338-06. All based on the good ole 06 cartridge! Moosin

[hunter1947]

If you are only going to use this rifle for deer my choice would be a 270 or 308..

[30Cal]

Before you decide on a caliber you need to decide in what type of terrain you will be hunting. Open area, bush, or both. And will your deer hunting be restricted to BC or in the open prairies like AB or SK. You will also have to consider the type of recoil you can handle. Therefore, I suggest you hook up with someone who has maybe a 270, 30-06, 308, 7rem mag, 300 win mag, 270 wsm, or 300 wsm as all these calibers are good for deer, but used for different terrains. Some hunters are recoil sensative, so you might want to try out a few magnums to see if it will work for you, or will you flinch? For me I live in both open plain and do bush hunting. I like the 300 WSM and believe it will only become more popular as time proceeds because it has similiar ballistics as a 300 H&H and acts like a 30-06 on steroids, but it is more accurate when I really have to reach out to get a deer or two. The .243 Winchester is a minimal deer caliber.

"A 243 has an effective kill range of just under 300 yards. This distance will change some depending on the bullet grain you choose. Over coming the trajectory and lost bullet energy would be very difficult at 400 yards where a small 55 grain bullet would drop 13 inches if zeroed at 200 yards and its energy would only be 705 foot lbs. You would have better energy with a 100 grain bullet with just over 1000 foot lbs but your drop would be more than 20 inches."

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_Kill_distance_for_deer_with_a_243

Morespecifically, the larger calibers that I mentioned will have much less drop 6-9" at 300 yrds, and retain far more energy making a more ethical kill if there is hunter error involved during shot placement.

[hunter fisher]

I love these threads ... By the end of it he might as well open a Nosler reloading manual to the middle and pick the first cartridge he lands on lol

x2, everyone has there own preference

[blackwater moose]

270win... any deer,moose big or small...:mrgreen: close or far out ..no big kick..just learn to shoot well..:wink:

x2 on the 270

[MOWITCH SLAYER]

You didn't say where you would be hunting deer ! That mean's more than anything else to me. flat open ground, something flat and fast like a 270 or 243. Pushing bush you need something heavier like a 30 cal. i'd go with the 30-06 or 300 mag . You said you only want to hunt deer but there is that chance that you need something bigger when you bump that cranky cow moose or that bad minded grizz.

[Weatherby Fan]

That's an interesting chart. I missed that in the book. I had no worries of failing the test so basically challenged the test and took the full course. I was gonna take the book home to read but the wife now wants a rifle so I get to help her after she reads it. They did tell us at the cfst course to buy a decent rifle with a good scope. I can do that. What would have more kick, .270 or 30-06 and which ammunition will be cheaper. I don't wanna see the wife hurt her shoulder. She is 5-5 and 124 lbs.


Eddzed

not sure if most of the posters are seeing your post of where you will be sharing with your wife who is 5.5 and 124lbs, my daughter is the same height and weight as your wife,

Be very careful about which rifle/cartridge you buy, I went through this process with my daughter, stick to 243/260/7mm-08 calibers due to recoil, unless you intend to reload you can move up in caliber and use reduced loads.

I'm not sure where you live but if your in the lower mainland your more than welcome to try out a few different rifle/calibers of mine, 7mm-08 , 30-06 , 7mm mag that way you can see first hand the difference in recoil in each rifle.
WF

[Brew]

Just get a243 if only ever shooting deer. If you want a little bigger get 6.5x55

[hare_assassin]

I agree with WF, as I said earlier. The other option is to buy a .270 (or similar) and buy "managed recoil" loads for wifey. Add a good recoil pad, too.

[Iron Glove]

Ed, I think it would be pretty difficult to find a suitable rifle that would fit both you and the wife. You'll end up with something that is a compromise, doesn't properly fit either of you and you'll be screwing around with the scope every time you swap back and forth.
For you, suggest a 270 or 30-06, pretty well good enough for anything, anywhere within reason and lots of choices out there. Probably the 2 most popular calibers out there so if you run out of ammo out in the boonies, someone will have a box sitting around. The 270 will have a little less recoil. I shoot a Remington 700 BDL in 30-06, my adult son a Savage Axis in 270. I can feel the difference shooting his. You can walk out the door of most sporting goods stores with an Axis, an upgraded scope and a few boxes of ammo for under $500 and you are ready to go.
For the wife, as others suggest, a 243. My 4'11 3/4" ( she's really upset that she never did get to 5 feet :mrgreen: ) was very recoil sensative and due to her stature it was hard to find a rifle that fit and didn't hurt. Got her a H&R Handirifle, Junior size in 243. Loaded up some light loads, walked her through them at the range and within 15 minutes she's shooting full loads. Light, easy to pack around ( I use it myself as a "truck" gun or when just walking the mutts in the woods ). Another suggestion for the wife is a good old 30-30, it's been killing deer and everything else, at reasonable distances, for a century or so. Look for a Savage 240 bolt action at gun shows. Small, easy to handle. Might cost you $200 or so.
Go to the monthly HACS show in Burnaby and try out the fit on a bunch of rifles or go to a place like Reliable where they will spend a ton of time working on fit for both of you.
If you ever head up to Hope or Tulameen, let me know and maybe I can show you some options.
Good luck.

[rednecksportsmen]

You can never go wrong with a 30.06

[coach]

Be very careful about which rifle/cartridge you buy, I went through this process with my daughter, stick to 243/260/7mm-08 calibers due to recoil, unless you intend to reload you can move up in caliber and use reduced loads.
WF

I did the same with .243, 25-06, 270 and 7-08. For what it's worth - ALL of the smaller shooters in my family as well as my friend's daughter have found the 7-08 to be recoil friendly. And for the record - that calibre also kills deer dead!

[Junorr500]

Bought my wife a rem model 7 in .243. It's a "mountain" rifle so it's compact and light. I find myself grabbing it more and more for my own deer hunts, and I would not be totally under gunned if I an into a immy moose either.

[Glassman]

I like my trusty .270. Good all-round rifle, ammo is easy to get anywhere, and cheaper than most to buy. Lots of selection from manufacturers to choose from, but I personnaly like the Weatherby vanguard series 2. 130 grain is probably best for deer.

[r106]

If it will be a %100 deer rifle I would go 243. But I would go 270,7mm-08 or 308 if there is a chance at anything else.

[BigfishCanada]

30 06 without a question.

[snowplayaa]

I'm surprised that the .308 hasn't been mentioned more. It is a great all rounder and has a manageable recoil. Similar to the .243 a necked down 30.06. If you want a boatload of research on the .308 (or any other caliber) check out http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/.308+Winchester+7.62+NATO.html

FYI My first rifle was a .243 for Van Island deer and van island terrain. Will never sell it.

[REMINGTON JIM]

7mm-08 Rem ! :-D RJ

[paw325]

take Bartell's advice and get a 243, load it up with 80gr TTSX or 100gr Partitions and don't look back.

When you hunt together with someone who shoots a 30-06 or 300 mag and they see you packing a 243, they will, without a doubt, invite you to shoot their rifle. This will give you the opportunity to determine if you want a larger caliber. Having said that, for deer sized critters you will not need it.

[todbartell]

The .243 Winchester is a minimal deer caliber.

"A 243 has an effective kill range of just under 300 yards. This distance will change some depending on the bullet grain you choose. Over coming the trajectory and lost bullet energy would be very difficult at 400 yards where a small 55 grain bullet would drop 13 inches if zeroed at 200 yards and its energy would only be 705 foot lbs. You would have better energy with a 100 grain bullet with just over 1000 foot lbs but your drop would be more than 20 inches."

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_Kill_distance_for_deer_with_a_243

Morespecifically, the larger calibers that I mentioned will have much less drop 6-9" at 300 yrds, and retain far more energy making a more ethical kill if there is hunter error involved during shot placement.

If you put a 243" 90gr Accubond, into the vitals of a deer, from inside 300 yards - it will die, quickly

Larger calibers do not make up for poor shot placement, on any animal

[charr]

Get the 243, later you can upgrade to 7mm or something bigger and keep the 243 for your wife.

[Citori54]

7mm-08, .308, .270....any of these should do the job nicely with reasonable recoil. There will never be a need to buy another caliber if you do decide to take on bigger game.

[CBH]

My vote is a 270 win. however, there are many choices that will do the job well!

[M.Dean]

I find for Deer the 243 is a excellent cartridge. And, with proper shot placement and a 100 grain Hornady Inter Lock, it will even tip over a Moose! And, like previously mentioned, the 270 is also a good choice. If your just getting into Hunting and shooting I'd say stick with a cartridge that's fairly cheap and easy to find.The 30-06 is by far the best all a round cartridge out there, but it's got a bit more of a recoil, if possible see if someone you know has one and go out and fire it a few times, if the kick doesn't bother you, I'd go with the 30-06. Good Luck.

[HarryToolips]

so many different opinions :-) i only have the .22 LR myself too, but here is a chart from the core book.... since you are asking what would be sufficient:

http://i1031.photobucket.com/albums/y373/snowbc/ammochart_zps87239e7d.jpg (http://s1031.photobucket.com/user/snowbc/media/ammochart_zps87239e7d.jpg.html)

LOL man I'd be hesitant to blast a griz with a .303....I like my .30-06's, never had a prob shootin a deer with one..

[Wild one]

30 06 and 270 are good choices. Both work well for deer and can be used for other big game if you choose. Ammo is easy to come by and fair priced. Ammo is not always easy to come by for some calibre in small towns.

Lots of options to get the job done for deer calibre's

[RadHimself]

Go big or go home.... .338 winmag


Have buddies that hunt? Shoot there rifles and find something you like..

i have a few... .270 bolt gun, .270wsm, .308, 7x57mauser... Buying a remington 700 sendero in .300 or 7mm rem mag depending on what i find... Dont limit yourself to a deer only rifle..

id suggest something in a winchester or remington action, spend the money on a good action that can be rebarrel easy and has good aftermarket support. Remington 700 has best after market support.

check out www.ballisticstudies.com and do some reading.. I bought boh his books, VERY good reading. Get informed first then make an educated decision. I have a browning xbolt comp stalker in .270wsm with a 3-9x50 redfield on top with 40rds fired on it.. I have $1000 into it, ill letr go for $750 if your into it.... Pm me if you like

[Weatherby Fan]

Go big or go home.... .338 winmag


Have buddies that hunt? Shoot there rifles and find something you like..

i have a few... .270 bolt gun, .270wsm, .308, 7x57mauser... Buying a remington 700 sendero in .300 or 7mm rem mag depending on what i find... Dont limit yourself to a deer only rifle..

id suggest something in a winchester or remington action, spend the money on a good action that can be rebarrel easy and has good aftermarket support. Remington 700 has best after market support.

check out www.ballisticstudies.com (http://www.ballisticstudies.com) and do some reading.. I bought boh his books, VERY good reading. Get informed first then make an educated decision. I have a browning xbolt comp stalker in .270wsm with a 3-9x50 redfield on top with 40rds fired on it.. I have $1000 into it, ill letr go for $750 if your into it.... Pm me if you like

What do you classify as a deer only rifle ?

[REMINGTON JIM]

Go big or go home.... .338 winmag


Have buddies that hunt? Shoot there rifles and find something you like..

i have a few... .270 bolt gun, .270wsm, .308, 7x57mauser... Buying a remington 700 sendero in .300 or 7mm rem mag depending on what i find... Dont limit yourself to a deer only rifle..

id suggest something in a winchester or remington action, spend the money on a good action that can be rebarrel easy and has good aftermarket support. Remington 700 has best after market support.

check out www.ballisticstudies.com (http://www.ballisticstudies.com) and do some reading.. I bought boh his books, VERY good reading. Get informed first then make an educated decision. I have a browning xbolt comp stalker in .270wsm with a 3-9x50 redfield on top with 40rds fired on it.. I have $1000 into it, ill letr go for $750 if your into it.... Pm me if you like


WTF is all that for :confused: ALL the op asked for was a OPINION of a good deer cartridge ! Keep it simple Man ! :wink: RJ

[BigSlapper]

.243 / 6.5x55 / .270 / 7mm-08 .... all very reasonable recoil .... all excellent deer calibers

[M.Dean]

Go big or go home.... .338 winmag


Have buddies that hunt? Shoot there rifles and find something you like..

i have a few... .270 bolt gun, .270wsm, .308, 7x57mauser... Buying a remington 700 sendero in .300 or 7mm rem mag depending on what i find... Dont limit yourself to a deer only rifle..

id suggest something in a winchester or remington action, spend the money on a good action that can be rebarrel easy and has good aftermarket support. Remington 700 has best after market support.

check out www.ballisticstudies.com (http://www.ballisticstudies.com) and do some reading.. I bought boh his books, VERY good reading. Get informed first then make an educated decision. I have a browning xbolt comp stalker in .270wsm with a 3-9x50 redfield on top with 40rds fired on it.. I have $1000 into it, ill letr go for $750 if your into it.... Pm me if you like Too bad, just sold my 700 sendero 300 mag, only wanted 300 bucks for it, didn't like it! Wasn't Big enough for me!!! Had a 7x23x 62mm scope on it, didn't like it either, wasn't big enough! Going to pickup my new, custom built 674 nitro Express, Double! Got them to put a extra trigger on it! Just in case I break one cropping elephants! So, if your look'in for your first Rifle, why buy small? Go Big!!! Like me!!!

[Kudu]

That's an interesting chart. I missed that in the book. I had no worries of failing the test so basically challenged the test and took the full course. I was gonna take the book home to read but the wife now wants a rifle so I get to help her after she reads it. They did tell us at the cfst course to buy a decent rifle with a good scope. I can do that. What would have more kick, .270 or 30-06 and which ammunition will be cheaper. I don't wanna see the wife hurt her shoulder. She is 5-5 and 124 lbs.


6.5x55 swede - buy once and save loads of cash in the long run....... Your wife will be comfortable with it as well.

The 6.5 will kill any deer in North America - including elk and moose!

You really don't need a "Mag-dumb" to get the job done around here - the felt recoil on the 6.5 is less than a 243 - so your wife won't learn to flinch!

[tuffteddyb]

243 or 7/08 I personally prefer the 7/08.
My wifes rifle is a ruger youth in 7/08 and has taken all her game with it.
Just got to make sure iit fits HER soit doesnt beat the hell outta her and
scare her away from shooting.

[markomoose]

Another one for a .243.Great deer rifle that should'nt ruin those juicy BBQ steaks.

[todbartell]

6.5x55 swede - buy once and save loads of cash in the long run....... Your wife will be comfortable with it as well.

The 6.5 will kill any deer in North America - including elk and moose!

You really don't need a "Mag-dumb" to get the job done around here - the felt recoil on the 6.5 is less than a 243 - so your wife won't learn to flinch!

you sure on that? 6.5x55 with a 140gr @ 2550 fps has 13 ft lbs of recoil in a 7lb rifle. That's about 30% more recoil than a 243 shooting 100's @ 2950 fps

both are mild, but the 6.5x55 does have more pop, at both ends. You can also load up the 6.5x55 to 140's @ 2750 fps, either by handloading or shooting Hornady Superformance, and that would put out 16 ft lbs recoil in a 7lb rifle, or 14 ft lbs in a 8lb rig. This is getting close to 270 Winchester territory

[REMINGTON JIM]

Too bad, just sold my 700 sendero 300 mag, only wanted 300 bucks for it, didn't like it! Wasn't Big enough for me!!! Had a 7x23x 62mm scope on it, didn't like it either, wasn't big enough! Going to pickup my new, custom built 674 nitro Express, Double! Got them to put a extra trigger on it! Just in case I break one cropping elephants! So, if your look'in for your first Rifle, why buy small? Go Big!!! Like me!!!


LMAO ! :-D M Dean - that is funny maybe RadHimself will get the point now ! :wink: LOL RJ

[6pt_elk_wannabe]

The .270 is the most versatile gun and can be used for anything later on incase you change your mind. Easy to shoot too, 150 grain cartridges work really good and make a great deer combo.

[30Cal]

If you put a 243" 90gr Accubond, into the vitals of a deer, from inside 300 yards - it will die, quickly

Larger calibers do not make up for poor shot placement, on any animal
Anything could happen within the few seconds that you pull the trigger. The animal might move or change position, and bullet placement may be further effected by the range that one is shooting. Thus, if for some reason there has been a poor shot placement, a larger caliber can make up for poor shot placement in respect to ensuring the animal is ethically killed.

A bullet that has no velocity has zero kinetic energy. In other words a bullet that is not moving is harmless. However, as soon as you have velocity you have kinetic energy. The larger the bullet, and the greater the velocity the more energy that is transferred. It is the energy and hydrostatic shock (damage done to the surrounding tissue) that kills.

Newton’s law is very clear in that energy is neither created nor destroyed, therefore it must be transferred. Energy does not disappear, it has to go somewhere. The wound channel is the effects of that energy. The larger the wound channel, the more energy that has been transferred. Moreover, hydrostatic shock is brought about by the displacement of fluids, which are moved by the energy that is being transferred. Force is equal to mass times acceleration and it is energy transfer that causes this displacement?

There are many other factors or variables that determine the transfer of energy such as construction of bullet, diameter, expansion rate, design, and density of the matter that the bullet is travelling through

However, if you can transfer enough energy from the bullet into the animal it will cause significant damage and the animal will die. Thus, larger calibers will make up for unintentional poor shot placement when it comes to putting deer down.

Do not misunderstand me, I am not condoning poor shot placement. I’m simply stating that a larger caliber, which can carry more energy, will ethically kill an animal if the shot placement is not adequate.

[30Cal]

If you are intending to let your wife use the same rifle I suggest you find someone with various calibers you can let her try, starting small (243) and working your way up to determine what she would be comfortable with. Common calibers I've seen my friends buy their wives usually are between a 243, 7mm-08, and 308.

[guest]

What ever you do a 30 cal. is the way to go ...... best range of bullet selection of any cal. .308, 30/06 R your best choices ........ load em up or down, if ya like deer hunting, you will one day want moose or elk etc etc.

30 cal by far.

CT

[pescado]

Another vote for the .243. You often hear about the person that brought the .243 for the wife or kid but enjoyed shooting it so much the gun ends up being there's. They kill well and are fun to shoot, what's not to like about that.

[madrona sh]

I shoot 7mm mauser and 270 win for deer hunting, use 30 06 and 375 ruger for larger tougher game.

[nelsonob1]

If you are really only hunting for deer then .243 up to 7mm08 is more than enough. A low recoil rifle will help you get comfortable with shooting and a short action light weight rifle will encourage you to walk more. Browning micro is a great mountain rifle.

if you decide to include elk, moose, then anything with a 30 in front of it or a 270 Winchester or WSM will give you a little more boom and knock down, but at the expense of rifle weight and recoil.

[RadHimself]

You guys r touchy... The .338 was meant in humor.

dont see how pointing the guy in the direction to do some reading and make his own call on a caliber is a bad thing.

that being said opionions are like @ssholes...

[Edzzed]

As a FYI, I ended up buying the Savage Axis XP in .270 Win and then went to town upgrading it. Bipod, sling, new Bushnell Trophy 4-12x40 scope since the one that came with it went on my.22 I also put on a Boyd's stock. http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p242/edzzed/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-07/CAM00813.jpg

[wlbc]

Nice Snow!

As the chart indicates many cartridges will do.

3006 is probably about the most versatile round for use in North America.

Rifles, like cartridges, are a little subjective. :-D I'll suggest a few that I think are well made and reasonably priced, remember that with care this rifle will last your lifetime easily so I would counsel against the least expensive choice if based on price. Some decent new rifles: Ruger Hawkeye, Winchester Model 70, CZ 550, Zastavia Model 70, Weatherby Vanguard, and Remington 700. In second hand the Parker Hales are a great value buy if in good shape.

Depending on where you are go to a sporting goods store with a number of rifles, shoulder as many brands as you can to see what "feels" good to you. Do some digging around once you found 2 or 3 that feel good.

When you put glass on it think in terms of spending as much on the glass, rings, and bases as the rifle cost. Don't try to save money here - you will regret it.

This thread will likely go on for awhile but suffice to say any cartridge on the chart Snow posted and many in and around those listed will do just fine for deer and more.

[northcoastfun]

Congrats ! on your new rifle looks great and you have set it up nicely. I have used the .270 Win for years on many hunts. Good luck this fall and post a picture of that new rifle in the field with it's first critter.

[lineofsight]

You averaged my would be recommendations, well done. That should work well.

---
25-06 - low recoil, laser flat, can take down bigger too, great for first rifle.
.308 - one size fits all, not sexy but hey, it works.
.300 WSM - more sexy than .308 and recoil more push than punch, accurate.

[r106]

Nice looking rifle.

[fyffer]

i just got a 25 06 like it alot, deadly accurate and very low recoil. will be shooting 100 gr ttsx for deer, black bears, elk or a moose.

[Ry151]

30-06 would be my advice. You can hunt anything with it and not bad for recoil.

[kgs]

Can't go wrong with the good ol'30-06


I agree 30 06 good all purpose gun..

[dd3boss]

Congratulations on the rifle. 270 is an excellent caliber and hopefully you will enjoy shooting it for years to come. And good luck hunting this fall!

[bcshadow]

I use a .243 , pretty flat shooting, light recoil and have killed deer out to 350 yards with it. Having said that, if you might hunt moose, elk or grizzly, and want one calibre for all the 30.06 with a plentiful supply of factory bullet loads, makes it an excellent choice. I chose the .243 and a 9.3 x 62 for grizzly and moose.

[Moose63]

For deer, 270; and an all game rifle I'm picking a 30-06.

[.30-06 camsavbc]

I bought a .30-06 this year which I love as my wife is a lot smaller than me (and I wanted my own rifle that no one else will mess with) and I will need to get a rifle for her and my oldest son next year. If I had to get just 1 rifle only then I would choose a 30/30 as I do not see them taking long shots here on the island and the recoil is not an issue. Then in a couple of years my daughter could use it as well. It is a hard decision as there are so many calibers that would work. The best advice I have got from this site is the fit to your body is most important so go to the gun stores and put as many as you can up to your shoulder and you will soon know which ones don't fit your body then go from there. The Savage Axis felt good to my shoulder and fit my current budget. If only my family did not have to eat!

[longstonec]

Savage is a great choice! really though... 6.5 Creedmoor