Which cartridge to get???

One man's opinion, I love a .270 because it shoots quite flat out to 200 yards and is more that enough to drop a deer or black bear in it's tracks. The .308 is probably just as good. The 30-06 is a bit bigger than what you need for most "eastern" hunting in my opinion, but certainly a good rife. The man pulling the trigger is really the biggest difference maker, no matter which gun you settle on.

The .270 is another great choice for a young first time hunter.

The .308 is actually is a actually a step above the .270. It is one of the more common calibers that military snipers choose. Very accurate, flat shooting, and not a shoulder pounder. I have killed many deer with mine out to 250 yards.
 
It sounds to me like you really want to get him a 30.06. As long as it’s not a lightweight rifle I’m sure it’d be fine for him. Use 150 grain bullets at first for a little less recoil and even up to 165 deer. My go to is always my 7mm magnum. It technically has more recoil than an .06 but I honestly can’t tell the difference. A 7mm.08 or a 6.5 x 55 Swede are both great deer rifles with very manageable recoil. The Swede can be hard to find ammo for but there’s usually 7mm.08 ammo on the shelves. A .260 Remington is a ballistic clone of the Swede. You could certainly go any of those routes and throw in a half dozen boxes of ammo and he’d be set for a long time. I’d actually consider those three rounds kind of the sweet spot for deer - but these what’s the best deer rifle threads can get contentious because we all love what we love to shoot. Anything mentioned here so far will work. You can’t go wrong with any advice given so far. I’d say Get what you want and trust your experience and judgment.
 
Definitely .308 or 6.5 Creedmore.

He's new to it all, and the rifle is for him. A .308 is popular and easy to shoot. It has almost unlimited ammo options and will easily kill any North American game except maybe brown bear and polar bears, which he probably won't be hunting any time soon. With 150 grain bullets the recoil is light enough for new hunters/shooters. I use a .308 for deer, and it performs flawlessly.

6.5 Creedmore seems to be an excellent round with a LOT of options and an increasing selection. It's good for everything up to an including deer, and probably elk at the ranges he is hunting. I don't have one because I started hunting before it came out, and i'm happy with my .308 rifles.

For a new hunter, a .30-06 is too much gun for the range and more than necessary for most North American game. The increase in energy compared to the .308 is not proportional to the increase in recoil.
 
I've seen a number of posts suggesting a lighter caliber because of recoil. It does require hearing protection, but I was amazed with J. W. Howitzer break on my Encore Pro Hunter .300 Win Mag. It is a pretty light gun and the recoil is less than a .270 with the break. This is my first firearm with a brake. I was amazed at the performance. There are many considerations when choosing a caliber and firearm. I just wanted to to let folks know that caliber choice is not the only way to manage recoil.

Thanks,

Jack
 
A .300 win mag is likely to cause hearing damage without a suppressor. It's probably not appropriate for a new hunter/shooter, especially one that doesn't have a private range.
 
A .300 win mag is likely to cause hearing damage without a suppressor. It's probably not appropriate for a new hunter/shooter, especially one that doesn't have a private range

I was addressing the comments on recoil and suggesting there are other ways to address it beside cartridge choice. There is also a difference between a "new" hunter/shooter who is a youngster and an adult. My initial post did address the need for hearing protection when using a muzzle brake especially in .300 Win Mag. There are many considerations when choosing a first rifle/cartridge. Can you only afford one firearm? Will you be hunting a specific game species in a single habitat, or do you want flexibility with a single firearm/cartridge to address multiple hunting situations. As I said in my original response, for my current hunting situation, Whitetail in the eastern forest, a .30-06 covers 99% of my shot opportunities. The .300 Win Mag won't add much for me. In my case, I wanted to add flexibility for future game/habitat possibilities. I will use it as my primary firearm for whitetail for now. Familiarity with a firearm breeds success.

The hearing protection I got for my .300 Win Mag with the brake, is a good idea to protect your hearing regardless of the rifle choice. I wish we knew about hearing loss by repeated lower level impulse sound when I was young as we do today. I now consider hearing protection a must for me regardless of what kind of firearm I'm shooting.

Thanks,

Jack
 
There is also a difference between a "new" hunter/shooter who is a youngster and an adult.
That's my thought all along. I have to admit, after the chatter, I'm leaning .308. He's a big enough boy to handle recoil, but why not ease the recoil.
 
That's my thought all along. I have to admit, after the chatter, I'm leaning .308. He's a big enough boy to handle recoil, but why not ease the recoil.
Nothing wrong with that!
 
I used a .300 win mag after our state went to all rifle. Before that it was my dads old 20 gauge slug gun. Then i won a .270 at a waterfowl convention and i have been using that ever since. Absolutely love that gun, not a lot of recoil at all.

My wife got drawn for a hunt at a state wildlife area for first time hunters so i wanted to get her a light recoil rifle. I decided to go with the 6.5 creedmoor. She dropped a 187lb buck right in his tracks with it.

On a side note. Remington makes managed recoil rounds. So if a standard round is too much recoil have him use the managed recoil, that way he can grow into the rifle.
 
243 is a great round that can shoot crazy far plenty of punch for deer and with 75-80grn bullets like TTSX and scoped right is an outstanding fast long range yote gun. Very light to carry and handle, ammo also very common with a lot of options.

Would be hard to go wrong with 30-06 for all the reasons previously stated by others very good all purpose round.

I have a lot of rifles in a lot of calibers, the 243 gets picked up the most.
 
That's my thought all along. I have to admit, after the chatter, I'm leaning .308. He's a big enough boy to handle recoil, but why not ease the recoil.

I really think that is the best choice. I'm from Ohio and always hunted deer with a slug gun. I only got a deer rifle after a LOT of consideration, and I ended up going with .308, and I am very happy with the decision. I have a Savage in the US and a Weatherby in Norway. I've probably killed about 25 whitetails and red deer with various types of ammunition with my .308 rifles. The cartridge performs flawlessly. The recoil with 150 grain bullets is mild, and with 180 grain bullets it's noticeable but not uncomfortable. The cartridge is more versatile than people think. There are people here who hunt partridge and other game birds with FMJ bullets. I know people who regularly take moose with a .308 as well. And of course, everything in between would be no problem.
 
So the final decision was..........30-06 Weatherby Vanguard Deluxe. Called an audible when the guy asked me what caliber. I am still old school and like the look of wood. Won't get it until the end of January. Called Weatherby when all the dealers said they couldn't get them The service rep put down the phone, walked over to the production guys, told me what I needed to know. I called the local place and gave them the info. The lady called me back 3 weeks later to see how it went. Great service. SO...I had him sit with my buddy the day after Christmas, cause it is normally a productive plot. I got 2 doe and they were skunked in the am. He stayed for the pm and finally joined the club! Can't get the pic to load for some reason, but he got a button buck with my buddy's 25-06 and was grinning from ear to ear. 1 shot drop. Told him he has now joined the " doe and over 3-1/2 yr old buck club" moving forward. Added another hunter to the fold!
 
So the final decision was..........30-06 Weatherby Vanguard Deluxe. Called an audible when the guy asked me what caliber. I am still old school and like the look of wood. Won't get it until the end of January. Called Weatherby when all the dealers said they couldn't get them The service rep put down the phone, walked over to the production guys, told me what I needed to know. I called the local place and gave them the info. The lady called me back 3 weeks later to see how it went. Great service. SO...I had him sit with my buddy the day after Christmas, cause it is normally a productive plot. I got 2 doe and they were skunked in the am. He stayed for the pm and finally joined the club! Can't get the pic to load for some reason, but he got a button buck with my buddy's 25-06 and was grinning from ear to ear. 1 shot drop. Told him he has now joined the " doe and over 3-1/2 yr old buck club" moving forward. Added another hunter to the fold!
He just got a rifle that will last him a lifetime. I think wood was a good choice because my dad's savage 110 -06 has less recoil than my Stevens 200 .270 with a synthetic stock. I've been thinking about replacing my Stevens with a vanguard chambered in .30-06. What scope are you putting on it?
 
His mom got him the scope. It's a Leupold. Just found out yesterday the Deluxe is discontinued. Can't get wood from Italy! At least now, I can let him weigh in and get what he wants exactly. I'm still a wood guy, but I'll let him pick
 
I'm a huge 7mm-08 fan. My dad got me one when Remington came out with the first mod 7 in it. I started both my kids out with a 7-08.
I'd go with that or a .308.
 
6.5 creed has a big advantage in factory ammo available and lots of rifle choices. But it's not as fast as a 260 rem. I don't know how many people are selecting 6.5 cm for its specific attributes over similar calibers, or getting it because it is the thing to do. It's known as a long range target rifle, but shoots such a rainbow you'll need to use a rangefinder and know your trajectory.
The 270 win is also very common in rifles and ammo. Maybe as common as the aught-six. It's very big for deer (I'm a 243 guy myself), but has potential for elks. Especially if we continue to move to copper bullets (lead free). A 130 gn copper in 270 win would shoot flat and hit doggone hard.
My current personal favorite is the 6.5 prc, but I reload. Don't need to worry about the cost or availability of ammo. The 6.5 prc will shoot flatter than 270 win, and have more punch at long range. This is valuable to folk shooting, like, over 500 yards; or engineers who appreciate the mathematical advantages that don't make a big difference in real life.
So, I'm recommending 270 win in a Kimber Hunter or Tikka Superlite.

This advice is provided free of charge, with no expectation of remuneration.
 
For eastern whitetail hunting I wouldn’t consider a long action cartridge even. Unnecessary recoil. I have a safe made up mostly of custom magnums but if choosing something for whitetails a 308 would be on the top end. 243, 6 creedmoor, 6.5 creedmoor, 7mm08 is what I’d look at for a non hand-loader.
 
6.5 creed has a big advantage in factory ammo available and lots of rifle choices. But it's not as fast as a 260 rem. I don't know how many people are selecting 6.5 cm for its specific attributes over similar calibers, or getting it because it is the thing to do. It's known as a long range target rifle, but shoots such a rainbow you'll need to use a rangefinder and know your trajectory.
The 270 win is also very common in rifles and ammo. Maybe as common as the aught-six. It's very big for deer (I'm a 243 guy myself), but has potential for elks. Especially if we continue to move to copper bullets (lead free). A 130 gn copper in 270 win would shoot flat and hit doggone hard.
My current personal favorite is the 6.5 prc, but I reload. Don't need to worry about the cost or availability of ammo. The 6.5 prc will shoot flatter than 270 win, and have more punch at long range. This is valuable to folk shooting, like, over 500 yards; or engineers who appreciate the mathematical advantages that don't make a big difference in real life.
So, I'm recommending 270 win in a Kimber Hunter or Tikka Superlite.

This advice is provided free of charge, with no expectation of remuneration.
I'm late to this conversation, but wanted to add my 2-cents worth for others looking. The 6.5 PRC has also become my favorite cartridge. And the cost of ammo is not significant for a typical hunter that shoots less than a box per year. The Christensen Arms Summit Ti-Th, with a March scope, was a splurge gun for me - and boy do I love it. Super light weight, a joy to shoot, and just a tack driver.
While it looks cool, if I had it to do over, I would pass on the thumb-hole stock.. It does not matter for close range, but on really long shots you have to concentrate to keep your thumb from torquing the stock as you pull the trigger.
And for those wanting less of a splurge, my brothers CA Mesa is probably as accurate as my summit. It's usually more about the guy pulling the trigger, than the gun, anyway.
 
When I looked for a new deer gun...I narrowed it down to 308 or 30-06 real quick simply because of cartridge availability. I ended up with a 308 and it's going to do the job just fine for anything I am going to have a chance to hunt here in IN....I do NOT have experience with black bears or wild hogs... I just know that a 308 is comfortable enough that my 17y/o daughter uses it and doesn't think twice. And some folks will claim you can never have too much gun...I would rather have just the right amount of gun in one I am very confident in that I can shoot well without fear of a bloodied eye-brown or a recoil flinch. Shot placement is far more important
 
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