I've never shot anything that kicks like my 12ga slug gun. That said, there are hundreds of choices depending on what you want to do. If all you are going to do is hunt deer, then the .243 will be just fine, in fact it would be better than a .30-30 at ranges beyond about 150yrds. You really need to decide what you want to do with a bigger gun. I went from a .32win special to a .30-06, which is not really that hard kicking and will take care of just about any big game in the U.S., is very common so it's chambered in just about every rifle made, and ammo is easy to find and cheaper than some less common calibers. Just don't get it in a 5lb rifle, and expect it to not kick.