I have a friend of the family that has done a lot of research on buying his gun and has informed me that the best choice for a deer rifle in his mind would be a .308. One point he made was the versatility of the bullets you can choose and the different loads you can put into them. I am no big deer hunter by any stretch, this will be my first year. ButI would also want to use my rifle for other game such as boar, coyote, and antelope. Any help would be appreciated.