Jeep, RR, you are both smart enough and accomplished enough as shooters to know full well that the .223 is a marginal cartridge at BEST and even given the better constructed bullets on today's market just isn't a cartridge that should be recommended for anyone that hasn't been in the hunting game for a good while and is highly picky about shot choices. You both know full well that you have to avoid shoulder with it no matter how good a bullet is loaded up in it because it simply doesn't have the weight or horsepower needed to CONSISTENTLY take on whitetail sized games shoulder area. Is it capable of taking down deer? Yes but the fact still remains only seasoned and experienced hunters/shooters should be using it because of the limitations on it. The OP stated he is fairly new to hunting so why recommend a cartridge that is marginal at best? Yes he wants a combination varmint/whitetail rifle and I am sure you BOTH will agree that a .243 or a 7mm08 is MUCH better suited to his needs than the marginal .223.