I am WAY outclassed by the above in terms of bullets etc.

One word of advice, try several different guns, they all are slightly different. A few years ago I treated myself to a new rifle, wanted a bolt, .30-06. I did some research on price/quality options and settled on one of 5 guns. I went to a shop that had them all and shouldered them all sighting down the barrel by quickly mounting the gun with my eyes closed, then open them.

the gun I ended up with (Remington model 700) came naturally up to my shoulder nicely aligned, the others were all off by a bit.

30-06 is fine
Any choice above .22 mag would be fine
"Stopping power" is redneck BS
Bullet through heart = stopped.

Bob's got it, make sure it feels good to swing up and aim

.30-06 is a great choice! I have a Howa 1500 in '06 and absolutely love it. I'm assuming this is going to be your first rifle purchase and the '06 is great because it's so versatile. If you want to branch out to hunting other game like hogs, you'll be fine. There's a reason it's one of the most popular hunting calibers. I like using 185gr. since it packs plenty of punch and my gun shoots it the best. Best of luck purchasing your new rifle.

The whitetails in Florida are pretty small. The average buck is 125lbs.

30-06 is a lot of gun for such a small animal.

What is your average hunting distance? Treestand?

30-06 is a great choice. That would be my pick for the reasons you're hearing.

The .308 will work, and the end result will not be any different--dead deer.

As a beginner you might find this site helpful;

http://www.chuckhawks.com/index2d.rifles.htm


Always remember; it's still only one man's opinion !!!

***Yes, those are his opinions that some will not agree with, but normally the stats on his website for just about everything are on the money!

I don't recommend a 30/06 as a beginning rifle, particularly if hunting is not in the near future.

I would recommend something with little to "no" recoil that can be shot affordably, so lots of shooting gets done without developing bad shooting habits related to recoil.

Something like a .223 would be ideal.

I've been Deer Hunting for many years,as several mentioned buy a Gun that shoulders well feels good and won't make You flinch from the heavy recoil.The biggest,baddest Rifle in the worlds not going to do You any good with poor shoot placement,get a Rifle that You can learn to shoot well and enjoy Hunting with!

Check out the Web Site Sheridan has listed.....see what Calibers have higher recoil and if possible find a Friend that has a few Guns and shoot them Yourself so You can fully understand what most Experienced Hunters here are trying to explain and keep You from making any costly mistakes.

I would highly reccomend a .243 because of the lower recoil and it has plenty of knock-down for Deer,Hogs and Coyotes too!

First off, I agree that even the 22 LR or mag will do the job, but may not either be legal nor ethical. So no, not any choice above a 22 Mag will do.

Second. "Stopping power" is not Redneck BS. What would you rather have with you if you were say fishing along your favorite salmon river and a brown or griz approached and decided that you looked better than those fish he had been eating all along, anything above a 22 Mag or something in the .375 and above class?
Thats where your "Stopping Power" comes into play. It is better known in our "Redneck" world as Kenetic energy and energy transformation comes from resulting in the tear or crush factor from the Hydrostatic effect. Simply put, mass damage to affected and surrounding tissues resulting in immediate incapacation due to a properly placed projectile.
Third. In a perfect world, a heart shot does cease a forward assualt. BUT NOT ALWAYS!!!! I have both personally seen and been told about assailants that were heart shot with rounds from 308's that continued for upto 8 seconds after being hit perfectly in the heart. For immediate incapacation, the shot has to be delivered to the cerebellum or modulla oblongata.
So in all, its not is RedNeck BS.