I have the model 710 30-06 and i love mine and would recommend it to anyone as for cal. i think for deer it comes down to your own descision. i think all the 710 cal. are great and am thinking about getting the .270 or .300 sometime soon. Not because i want to set the 30-06 aside but just because i like to use differnt guns at different times. and lets face it you can never have too many.