hi all, was wondering what caliber rifle you all prefer for longer shots? maybe one with not that much kick. the field i hunt is 400 yards across, but it would be cool to be able to shoot 200 or 250. thanks in advance, paul

Just about any "modern" non-magnum hunting round will get you out to 300 yards. With that said and taking the recoil into account I would sudgest any of these 243, 25-06, 7mm-08, 270, 308, or 30-06. Any will do it just fine plus a whole lot more thses are just the more prominent ones.

thanks man good info

I do love the quarter bores. To me a 25-06 is a great choice for deer sized game.

i was wondering about that 25-06, do they have less kick than a 30-06? like i said i'm new to gun hunting. i don't even have a rifle, i've been bow hunting for3 years. got a domy first year,i can't seem to put it all together. maybe this year will be different.lol for real though,gonna get a rifle before gun season, help me now i wanna fill the freezer!!!!!LOL thanks

Any of the calibers mentioned above would serve you well at the ranges you suggested. The .243 might be reaching its limit at 400 yards on deer-sized game, depending on your comfort with it (otherwise, it's a great deer cartridge). Recoil-wise, the .308 family of cases(.308, 7mm-08, .260 Rem, and .243) are generally going to be less noticeable than what you might experience from the .30-06 family (.30-06, .270, and .25-06). Felt recoil also increases the heavier the bullet and/or the lighter the rifle.

But, even the recoil-sensitive should be able to handle all of them without too much difficulty. As well, nearly every manufacturer offers rifles chamberedforthem.

Lots of good posts here.....

The .270 might be the one you really like.....while the others will do the trick the .270 is the one I'd pick. It shoots like a 7mm Mag with a bit less bark and smack.

.270 Win. was my 1st thought.

for deer, long range, its perfect.
any of the .30-06 cases would be fine, .25-06, .30, .270, 280,

if picking a .308 case, my choice would be a 7mm-08, but I'd get a .270 and call it a day.

Any will do fine on deer.

The 25/06 Rem. , if you did not already know, is essentailly a 30.06 Spr. case necked down to .25 cal. Using a quality 100 to 120 gr. hunting bullet, this is an excellent round for deer. It'll also flat move out light weight varmint bullets. As far as recoil? In my opinion, recoil is not a problem until you get into the 30 cal. so called Magnum rounds. Problem I have recommending the 25.06 Rem. is that it is not a "popular" round. Lots of folks use it alright, but when compared with other deer hunting rounds, it is rather seldom seen. At least where I hunt. For example, in the course of this coming season I will hunt with something like 40-45 different folks. Only 1 uses the 25.06 Rem. This translates into the fact that factory ammo can be iffy to find and you will not find a wide variety of offerings. On the other hand, if you get into hand loading the 25.06 Rem. is a beautiful thing ! You can work up spectacular performing , long range ammo.

My personal favorite is the 308 Win. This short action round is excellent for hunting. I have taken gobs of white tail deer at ranges from about 30 yards to 300 yards, mule deer out to about 325, coyotes to past 400 .... and hogs at 20 feet! Most 308 Win. rifles like 150 to 165 gr. bullets moving at 2600-2800 fps.

Second for me would be the 243 Win. It is an excellent, mild recoil round for deer. It is a round built on the 308 Win. case , necked down to about .25 cal. With 100 gr. hunting bullets, this is a super duper deer killer. And it is an excellent choice for hunting varmints. A 75 gr., rapidly expanding varmint bullet is going to leave a 243 Win. screaming and will drop a coyote farther out than most of us can masterfully shoot.

ToFar...One thing you need to consider...

Currituck County has quite a few bears...Now, I grew up in Gates County and have used a .243 since 1980 and do well with it, in fact, I have killed 6 black bears with it...But...I'm not sure, knowing your area like I do that I would recommend a .243 for someone not familiar with bears and their habits...
Plus...I'm a hellofashot and pretty decent woodsman...

I'd look at either a 7mm-08 or a .270...Frankly, once you get much larger than these, most guys start to flinch in anticipation of recoil, so their accuracy goes out the window...