rats

I go with the 70-08.

retrieverman

I like these too and would add 7mm08.

MichaelT.

Ok , I own 2 -.243's , 1 - 7mm-08 , 1 - .270 , and 1 - 30.06. , amongst othercalibers.

If it is just by your criteria , and I look at the performance of those guns, I would have to say that the 7mm - 08 is ideal, and the .308 is close but for the recoil limit. My 7mm-08 is a rem. model 7 ( short and light ) , the .308 is a Ruger M77 stainless / syn. ( full size and heavier ) but it is a tack driver too.

But I want to throw one more kink in the mix.

A 30.06 or a .308 using Remington Managed recoil ammo. It has the recoil of a .243 or a little less, and is good to about 225 yards on the normally thought of idea of needed energy for medium sized game. I got some for my wife and her 30.06 and they shoot great and work well. Then if you want, you can shoot full strength loads whenever you want, or if you give it to your son, he can shoot what ever he wants to shoot. It really is a very viable option for you, and I think you would like the versatility.

I would at least say check it out before you decide, then if not look real hard at the 7mm-08. That round has dropped a lot of deer for me over the last 16 years. I was shooting that round before it became the popular stud it is today.

Good luck and God Bless.

ShatoDavis

25-06

Cruise J.D.

Well - that really does make things more interesting. I have a .30-06, so I prefer the .308 for a new gun. I like the idea of the .308 with managed recoil ammo. That gives a lot of flexibility.I think I've narrowed it down to four choices:

(1) .308 with managed recoil ammo (Stepping up to regular ammo if desired);
(2) 7mm-08;
(3) .25-06; and
(4) .243.

ShatoDavis

You already have a 30-06 so buying a 308 would be redundant. 7-08 is an excellent choice, but I would still buy the 25-06.

statjunk

If you are truly that concerned with recoil, then 7mm-08 or .243. I think the .308 is the best choice though and if you get a regular rifle I don't think you'd need to buy recoil reducing ammo.

If you're rifle is beating you up that badly then I'd get some instruction on properly positioning a rifle to shoot. In the field recoil is never an issue so I'm assuming your talking about recoil at the bench.

Tom

Cruise J.D.

Good point. I looked into the ballistics on the 7-08 and Iliked what I saw. Very similar to the .30-06 with 5 ft lbs less of recoil.

Yeah - when I was younger I did not care much about recoil and accuracy. It was "3 in the paper plate" and I'm done. Now,I want to be able to shoot a rifle and not worry about recoil. I would like to spend more time shooting my rifle. I remember shooting a .243 when I was younger and loving the fact it did not kick.

It's not that the .30-06 is beating me up too badly, it just that why do I need to have any recoil issues at all? The lower recoil guns killdeer just as dead as my .30-06 does. If I am getting a new gun anyways, why not get one where recoil is a non-issue?

HEAD0001

Cartridge Information




Index Number
Cartridge Type
Weight (grs.)
Bullet Style
Primer No.
Ballistic Coefficient

PRA260RA
Premier® AccuTip™
120
AccuTip™ Boat Tail
9 1/2
0.480

R260R1
Remington® Express®
140
Pointed Soft Point Core-Lokt®
9 1/2
0.435

R7M082
Remington® Express®
120
Hollow Point
9 1/2
0.343

R7M081
Remington® Express®
140
Pointed Soft Point Core-Lokt®
9 1/2
0.390



Velocity (ft/sec)




Cartridge Type
Bullet
Muzzle
100
200
300
400
500

Premier® AccuTip™
120 AT BT
2890
2697
2512
2334
2163
2000

Remington® Express®
140 PSP CL
2750
2544
2347
2158
1979
1812

Remington® Express®
120 HP
3000
2725
2467
2223
1992
1778

Remington® Express®
140 PSP CL
2860
2625
2402
2189
1988
1798



Energy (ft-lbs)




Cartridge Type
Bullet
Muzzle
100
200
300
400
500

Premier® AccuTip™
120 AT BT
2392
2083
1807
1560
1340
1146

Remington® Express®
140 PSP CL
2351
2011
1712
1448
1217
1021

Remington® Express®
120 HP
2398
1979
1621
1316
1058
842

Remington® Express®
140 PSP CL
2542
2142
1793
1490
1228
1005



Short-Range Trajectory




Cartridge Type
Bullet
50
100
150
200
250
300

Premier® AccuTip™
120 AT BT
0.1
0.7
zero
-1.8
-4.9
-9.5

Remington® Express®
140 PSP CL
0.3
0.8
zero
-2.3
-6.1
-11.7

Remington® Express®
120 HP
0.1
0.6
zero
-1.9
-5.3
-10.2

Remington® Express®
140 PSP CL
0.2
0.7
zero
-2.1
-5.7
-11.0



Long-Range Trajectory




Cartridge Type
Bullet
100
150
200
250
300
400
500

Premier® AccuTip™
120 AT BT
1.6
1.5
zero
-2.8
-7.2
-20.7
-41.7

Remington® Express®
140 PSP CL
1.9
1.7
zero
-3.3
-8.3
-24.0
-47.2

Remington® Express®
120 HP
1.6
1.4
zero
-2.9
-7.3
-21.7
-44.9

Remington® Express®
140 PSP CL
1.8
1.6
zero
-3.1
-7.8
-22.9
-46.8


Take a close look at this chart. I think alot of people are getting information from charts. So just out of curiosity I checked Remington's chart about their 260 Remington. It was as I suspected. I will agree with everyone saying the 7-08 would be a good choice for your parameters, but I think the 260 edges it out with the 120(but it is really close) grain bullet.

Take your time and look at this chart. It shows the 260 with the better BC's. It is showing a 120 grain bullet with superior ballistic's to a 140 grain 7-08. I realize alot of this is because of bullet choice. But if you are shooting factory ammo then you are limited by the loads they offer. I am assuming this lighter 120 grain load would have less recoil than the 7-08 load with the 140??

I still think the 30-06 is the best choice. What is wrong with owning more than one rifle in the same caliber. Heck I own over a dozen 30-06's. Tom.

Sorryfor the long post. I cutand pasted the chart-the way it showed up is not the way I pasted it.

stalkingbear

Anytime I speak or reccomend something,it's directly from 1st hand experience. I have vast experience with 7mm08,none with .260 rem. Since I had already have lots of experience with 7mm08 before the 260 rem came out,it ain't broke,and I ain't gunna fix it. Another thing to remember is my all time 2 out of 3 favorite deer size cartridges are dying (.280,and .284), I also see a whole bunch of newer cartridges sinking in future. Think it can't happen? Try to buy 5mm rem ammo. As good as it was/is,rem dropped it.