As one might well imagine, I' m a huge fan of the .30-06, so don' t get me wrong. But if Dogpack' s wife has back problems, it could be a bit much for her. I have a Rem 700 synthetic, and all I feel is a mild push. On the other hand, my wife is rather uncomfortable with it, and prefers the smaller calibers.

The .30-06 can do just about everything I want it to do, with realistic expectations. But if they just want to hunt Florida deer and hogs, I say go with the .243, .257, .25-06, or possibly the 7mm-08 at the largest.

They all get the job done with proper shot placement.