30-06 180 grain, best a man can get

Both my father and I have used the 7mm-08 for a while now. It packs a bit of a whallup. In fact, we usually will put on a life jacket (we tell each other it is to simulate a heavy coat, but we both know it' s cause we don' t like pain! ) Plus bullets are a bit hard to find around here and are usaully $20/box.

This year he traded his in for a 25-06 (sorry I don' t know who makes it). He zeroed his in without the use of a life jacket (although the heavy coat may throw him off ). Shot 1" groups at 100 yards and for him is pretty amazing!! He said the recoil is nearly non-existant. He also put a nice doe down...double lung hit....ran 30 yards. Also a box only costs less than $15 (25% less than the hard to find 7mm-08)

I have yet to shoot it but it sounds very interesting.

The 257 doesnt have near the velocity nore the energy the .243 does. Everyone has their favorite calibers and mine is the .243, with the right shells and velocity' s over 3000 fps and the tendancy to drive tacks its a hard gun to beat. At 300 yds its still carying a velocity of around 2400fps. Even claimed by some to be one of the best drop' em in there tracks calibers. I have taken lots of deer and hogs with this caliber. Shock value is what drops deer and this gun has it.
You should see the devastion inside the cavity of a deer that has been shot there, it actually liqufies the lungs. I shoot the Hornady' s in 100 gr and is sighted in at 200 yds with about 1 inch groups at that distance. I have had complete pass throughs on big hogs at over 200 yds away with this bullet. Nothing has gotten away from my .243 , nothing has gone past 50yds if they didnt drop right there. The available ammo for this gun is extensive, you can choose from 55 gr for varmints that shoot over 4000 fps or you can go with 85 gr hollow points from federal that blow huge holes in deer or go with Hornady' s that have controlled expansion for large game. Remington has a new cartridge for it, a 90 gr scirroco bonded that suppose to be awsome for big game. I will be trying them soon. This gun shoots as flat or flatter than even the 25-06 . Its an awsome caliber go with the .243.

In the first post it says to stay away from the remington 710. What is the reason for this? I haven' t looked at one very close but thought it looked like a good quality inexpensive gun

thanks for all the input. zrexpilot makes a some good points for the 243. for those not familar with florida deer. they tend to be on the small side. right now that is what im tending towards.

Winchester 308, there has been a lot of discussion on the 710. its about the only thing the folks here will agree on. from what they say, it has a horrible trigger, poor action, and some plastic parts. most will suggest a savage or rem 700 for an inexpensive rifle.

Well as for the Rem 710. I' ve been using one for about 3 years now and have killed everything that I have shot at with it. Now it' s pattern isn' t as tight as others particularly with Core Lockt Express rounds but I ' m within 3" at 100 yds and that suits me just fine. But you do need a quality scope (I switched the Bushnell for a Leupold VX-I) and some practice. In my experince the equipment is only as good as the operator. The 710 is an extremely inexpensive rifle that in the right hands can put em down! Gary

.243 bullets are easier to find than .257 if you dont handload.

your choices are minimal, consider a 7mm-08, 270win, or 30-06. i recommend the 30-06 because it is versatile enough that if you want to hunt any other north american game (exept birds) I live and hunt in Fla and it is a beautiful round for deer and hogs (and antelope,moose,elk,coyotes,mountain goats,bears...)
please give the 30-06some serious consideration and talk to others with it, trust me, you wont be angry with your decision.

hope I helped

-hotgunner

As one might well imagine, I' m a huge fan of the .30-06, so don' t get me wrong. But if Dogpack' s wife has back problems, it could be a bit much for her. I have a Rem 700 synthetic, and all I feel is a mild push. On the other hand, my wife is rather uncomfortable with it, and prefers the smaller calibers.

The .30-06 can do just about everything I want it to do, with realistic expectations. But if they just want to hunt Florida deer and hogs, I say go with the .243, .257, .25-06, or possibly the 7mm-08 at the largest.

They all get the job done with proper shot placement.

The .243 is a great rifle for you and your wife. I hunt whitetail in VA and when I was younger (in my teens) I used a .243 rifle. My wife also uses a .243 to this day and stands by its performance. The .243 is a great shooting, low recoil, very accurate and affordable rifle. Use a 100 grain bullet and you will be very pleased with its performance.