I agree with fc. do your home work before you buy, research recoil, ammo availability and selection, ballistics of different rounds and match them to you hunting situations and game. Go to the range and shoot different calibers to see what ones suit you. I learned the hard way and rushed in to buying something that wasn't right for meandthen regreted it. I went from a 300 rum to 270 winchesterand then finally settledon a 7mm rem mag formy main big game gun.Where I live we usually hunt moose and deer similtaneously where 50-300 yard shots are common.I am not saying the 7mm is the best, becausethere are plenty ofgreat rounds out there , its really a personal choice. For me it was a balance between good balistics and recoil in a caliber that had a good selection ofinexpensive factory ammo so I could afford to target practise and become compentent with it.The 30-06 and 308 are also very good rounds to consider for deer/elk sized game.