Bought my son a Ruger M77 in .243 bolt. Not the youth gun as it is not neccesary. It is a nasty little caliber and with a 100 gr bullet will more than do it's job on whitetail. I'm hoping to steal it a few times this yera myself.

What many have failed to mention is ammunition availability. You can probably find .243 ammo most anywhere where as 7m-08 or 25-06may not be as easy to find when you need it.