i'm 15 and want a gun primaraly for deer and bear. i was going to get a 7mm-08 because it has low recoil but i saw the remington reduced recoil rounds and wondered if i should get a .270 or a 30-06 and use thoes new remington rounds intil i can handel the recoil well.
what do you think?

That's what I am doing for my 13 yr. old son. He's shooting a .270 with the managed recoil loads and a slip on limbsaver at the range. When we get in the stand, there will be a regular bullet in the chamber and he will never know the difference. In a couple of years, he can remove the slip on pad and the rifle will be exactly the same as it was when his grandpa gave it to me.

The 7-08 is just as good as either the 270 or the 30-06. A 308 would allow you a greater bullet selection even if you dont reload with the same recoil as the 7-08, and is comparable to both the 270 and 30-06 as well.

My young friend, any of the cartridges you mention will do a fine job on medium game. All are great target rounds, and you'll never ever regret owning a rifle chambered in any of them. However, if you don't handload you may find ammunition for the .270 and .30-06 to be more readily available and probably cheaper than the 7mm-08.

Have you actually fired a .270 or .30-06 to see how bad the recoil really is? You might find that you get used to it. The recoil difference from a 7mm-08 is certainly MEASUREABLE, but may or may not be NOTICEABLE on your shoulder.

Besides a good recoil pad on the rifle, you should also get a shoulder pad. This will help tremendously in avoiding pain, suffering and damage to your rotator cuff that will require surgery. It will alos help you concentrate on shooting. PAST makes these for about $20 to $30 depending on the thickness. I use one at all times when at the range or shooting clay birds and will never be without one. Mine is just the low-end Field Grade. Here's a link to Midway that describes some of them:

http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteabro...0/655***688***

Go with a 7mm08 or consider a .243... Both are wonderful deer cartridges with relatively low recoil. The .243 makes a nice varmint cartridge as well.

JMFA. Best advice I have heard here in a while. First off the extra pad will make shooting more enjoyable. Second, protect that shoulder as its a painful injury to suffer. My shoulder is in bad shape. Part of the problem MAY have been shooting big magnum rifles. Thats not for sure but the doctor says its a good possibility. Anyway as time goes on a fellow will wish he had taken better care of the old body.

does wal-mart carry 7mm-08 ammunition?

The WalMarts around my house and where we hunt do not carry '08s. That's why I stick with loads that can be found at any gas station or sporting goods store like .243, .30/30, .270, or 30/06. .270 has been a very good round for me for the past 30 years. The new stuff is interesting but the .270 has never left me wishing that I had more power or a larger bullet. Whitetails, mulies, Hogs, javelina, turkey, bobcats and mexican lions have all falllen to the Powerpoint and Corelokt 130 gr. and 150 gr. factory loads.