I am new to Texas and my Father gave me his winchester model 70 right handed 30-06. The problem I have is I am a lefty and I am not sure what caliber i should use in Texas for deer and hogs and for general target shooting. If anyone has suggestions about the Ruger no 1 and what caliber or a left handed bolt in either Winchester or Ruger let me know please? Everyone I ask has different answers about the caliber and most just say it is up to your personal choice of a caliber. What are the differences of the calibers in terms of range and stopping power and for target shooting Thanks

Like you already know there is no "perfect or Right" gun for any situation. My pick is the .270 Win.

i look into the 243,25-06,7mm08,270rem,and 260rem for flat shooting rifles that don't have much recoil and all of these are good rounds for the smaller texas deer

you really cant go wrong with a 30-06.

I am sure the Texas hogs are meaner than the deer. The great thing about the 30 06 is that you can buy relatively good bulk ammo cheap. I admit if I was shooting in the flats (I don't know what your terrain is) then I would favor your thoughts in a Ruger #1 in 7mm mag with a sound scope. It has a 26" barrel for the magnum. Nice bullets in the 7's. But heck, you are in Texas. You can put a .44 on your hip for the close in work!

The .243 would make a great "minimum" deer caliber, anywhere! That said, I'd lean towards the .260 or really, the 7MM-08 as perfect Texas deer guns! The '08 will tame the baddest hog you ever come across!

I lean towards a .243, 25-06, or 6mm.

In Texas I use a 7mm-08 Rem, a 308 Win and a 270 Win with the 270 Win being my most favored at this time. All three drop deer and hogs with authority.

I would go with a 280 rem then a 270 win. You can do everything with a 280 that you can do with a 270. But with the 280 you can hunt bigger animals if you ever choose to. If not a 280 then i would just shoot the 30-06 like HighDesertWolf said.

I would go with a remington rifle. They're the real work horses.

You really can't go wrong with the .30/'06, but I used a 7X57mm for all my hunting when I lived in Texas. It was a Ruger No. 1A. You really can't go wrong with a Ruger 1A either, and they come in .30/'06, .270, 7X57mm, and .243. The .243 is a nice deer load, but I'd want to shoot heavier bullets at hogs!