houtsdg

Looking to buy my first rifle. I would like it to be of a caliber that will take down a deer and be fairly affordable to plink with. Is there such a caliber? Secondly, what is the difference between .30-.06 and .30-.30? Thanks!

Moose75

Lot of difference between the 30-30 and 30-06. 30-06 is alot bigger, you can hunt elk and moose with em. 30-30 is alot smaller you cant get near the distance with it. It is a close range deer gun. To me they are good for 100 yards. I have killed deer with my 30-06 at 500 yards. If I was you geting my first gun I would get a Remington 700 270 bolt action. that is one of the best deer guns its like the 30-06 just a hair smaller. But I think you could shoot a 25-06 or a 308 cheeper and they are both great deer guns.

hillbillyhunter1

I would look at the remington model 7 in .308. The model 7 is a great little first gun (bolt action) I've got one in 6mm that was my first gun ever. Love it. Also the .308 being a military round (M-14, I believe) you can buy lots of bulk ammo for it for cheap. That being said, that same bulk ammo is usually full metal jackets...which means they are good for plinking and for varmint shooting but not really a hunting bullet. You can however buy lots of good hunting cartridges for it as well as it is one of the most popular calibers ever and is a traditional favorite of many with plenty of power for deer and even bigger game. Once you buy one though, you'll probably want more and different calibers as you can never have too many guns

mybigredford

i say get the 06, you can hunt almost anything in the states and canada. lots of different ammunition to choose from and pretty much guarenteed to find it wherever you go!!

skeeter 7MM

Difference basically is case size of the 3006(long action rifle) is larger allowing more powder to fling the same sized .308 diameter bullets faster, flatter, harder and really further in hunting terms.

I agree for a good deer caliber, very easy on shoulder, fairly versatile & cheap to plink stuff with the .308 win would be a good choice. The 3006 or 270 win would also fit your requirement and ammo is about the same in terms of cost/availability. The 3006 has more grain choice but really for the bulk of user it is rarely harnessed. I personally like the 270 better for deer type duty. When something slightly larger is required/desired I like the .284's in a 280 rem or in my case a 7mm rem mag.

PYseeker

You have been given some good advice so far. I will add my 2 cents. I would say for what you want the 308 cal. is perfect. The ammo to plink with is cheap and the performance the round has is perfect for any size deer out to 300 yards. As far as guns go the Remington model 7 is a good choice. I Hunt with a winchester model 88 in 308 and have killed 10 deer with this gun with perfect performance. Good luck in choosing a deer gun. As for hunting ammo I use either winchester fail safe or Ballistic tips 150 grain, they work great. good luck.

GRIZZLYMAN

I think the rifle choice can also be dictated by where you hunt. If you are hunting in thick forest where a 100 yd shot is the max, you may be able to get away with a 30-30. If you anticipate making a longer shot you probably want to go with the 30-06. I've used both, and both will take a deer down quick. Factory ammo in the 30-30 is a little cheaper than the 30-06.

Rebel Hog

houtsdg, as you only want it for deer and plinking, I would go for
the 30-30, much cheaper to shoot. You should try to keep your shots within
150yds if you are new to rifle hunting. Learn to shoot that 30-30 like
your A,B,C's. Shoot alot of paper with different ammo and see which
one's group the best. I would also buy a scope for it or it's your choice.
Go get'um! Lots of Luck!

SWAMPMAN

houtsdg,
You've been given a lot of good advice. I'd just like to say that for deer hunting, a wide variety of cartridges, and cheap plinking ammo, you've perfectly described a .308 Winchester. It's cousin , the 7mm08 is also fine, but not a lot of cheap ammo. Either of these calibers in a Win model 70, Remington 700 or 7, or a Savage will do everything you will ever ask of it.

cwtaylor89

I would either get a remington 7mm or the 30.06. The 30-30 is a good gun at close range I killed my first deer with one but, like they said, it's only good for like 75 to 100 yards. You don't want to get a smaller caliber even if it's cheaper, you'll regret it once you do!!!