I bought a bow but with winter coming in not so sure I'll be able to draw back on an animal. Can someone recommend me a decent rifle for deer and feral hogs. Calibers as well

.270, 7mm-08, .308, etc are all great calibers.

There are literally thousands of options. And even the less expensive models on the market can be plenty accurate for hunting. I shoot .308 and love it but I've been considering a .30-06 due to the availability of factory ammo. Not as big of deal now that I'm hand loading but if you don't reload, the availability of ammunition should definitely be considered before making a decision

Get yourself a Savage Axis rifle/scope combo in .270 and be done for the rest of your life. Of course, one gun leads to another, and another, and...

Check out the classifieds on this sight. .270 has the most abundant ammo available which can be really important.

Can you not find .308 ammo? It's one of the most popular cartridges out there. Cabelas and Gander are both covered up in .308 right now, and I even found some at Walmart the other day. Academy had a fair selection too.

As for the OP, I'd go .243, 7mm-08, .308, .270, 30-06. Those are very standard and ammo can be found almost anywhere for them. All are deer/hog capable to at least 300 yards. In the event you need to sell your rifle, those would also all sell pretty well.

There are a few of these in the classifieds on here, just look around.

We have 3 calibers of guns on our ranch we have as loaners...243, 260, and 308...they are in the same rifle Steyr SBS pro hunter...I will tell you the 260 gets used the most, along with the 308, that being said all the above is good advice. 7-08, 260, 6.5x55, 6.5 creedmoor...anything in there will get you a hell of a pig and whitetail rifle.

Ed

Sounds like all you have is a bow. Here's something to consider...why not get a black powder, muzzle loader. Most don't cost that much. You can use during regular gun OR black powder. I bought a bolt type inline a few years back- CVA buckhorn209 Magnum. I think it cost with rebate $79 and I put a 4x fixed scope on it. It has a synthetic stock but two metal pillars and that must be the deal because I can get 1 1/2" to 2" groups at 100 yards using loose Pyrodex RS and Shockwaves. With a shockwave type bullet you can probably use to 150 yards or beyond. In the standard 50 caliber- will kill deer, elk, hogs, bears. True you don't get a fast follow up shot but fast follow up shots aren't too successful unless you are very close to the animal.

What do you want? What is your budget? How recoil sensitive are you? Wood or synthetic stock? Blued or stainless metal?

.338 - great knock down power and blood trail

I could be wrong....but I think I remember reading at one point in time somewhere that there are more medium-big game animals killed in north America every year with a .270 and a 3x9-40 scope than any other caliber or weapon in use.

there's lots of calibers that will work though. lots of good advice above.

243 and 25-06 are good options. low recoil and good range. As far as brands go, Remington, Winchester and Savage all make guns in a variety of price ranges. I prefer Remington's myself.

I looked at the savage axis at academy but didn't know of any calibers that were good for my type of hunting. I have only shot .22, 12/20 gauges and my friends 3030. Just wondering about the recoil, will I even notice it while shooting at an animal if I have nerve shakes?

If you are a grown man I wouldn't get .243. It's a great caliber, but why not get a 7 mag, 7mm-08,30-06,270,or 308? Plenty of options out there. I'd invest in a good scope also.

.30-06 is likely one of the most versatile calibers with a very wide variety of factory ammo available up to a 220 grain for pretty much anything in North America. You should be able to find a relatively inexpensive one used.

yes, there are a lot of other calibers good for deer & hog starting with a 22-250 on up but I doubt any other caliber will have the broad range of OTS ammo flexibility of a .30-06. If I could only have one gun, that would be my choice.

.243

Yeppers

25-06 Remington is the best hands down in my opinion, I've never lost an animal, they either drop in their tracts or run a few yards.

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire/model-700/model-700-cdl.aspx

Being an inexperienced shooter I would get a solid caliber that will put deer down but not kick too hard to practice often. A 270 fits that description as well as other calibers mentioned. Look at remington adl, tikka t3, ruger american

But during "the scare" there was no .308 to be had. This is why I am now a reloader. Never again. .270 and .30-06 didn't suffer the same scarcity fate.

Haven't you already drawn on a bush AND a hog? Why don't you think you can draw back on an animal now? Fwiw, a .270 is a good all around caliber for every animal in Texas IMO.

Man if you are on a tight budget, look for a push feed Winchester or Remington 700..lot better gun than the [censored] they are calling a budget rifle now ( savage axis,ruger American,TC whatever they call it) I just picked up 2 700s one in a 243 and one in a 270 for around $435 each...look around they are there!

Rifles:

Budget:350-600

Remington 700
Howa 1500 (weatherby vanguard)
Push feed M70
Mark x (Charles daly) sporterized M98 ect

Mid range 600-1200

M70s
Weatherby Mark Vs (surprising you can find reasonable--just saw an 270 mag weathermark for $775)
Rem 700s ( sendero, higher grades than the SBS)
Steyr SBS pro hunter
Ect...

Big bucks: above $1500
Pick your poison hard to go wrong

Blaser (my personal fav-- I have shot one since 1999)
Mauser Mo3
Sauer 202
HS P. 2000
Cooper
Custom...

Get a Remington 700 in a .308

You guys forgot Tikka. They seem to be producing a very high quality rifle at a fair price. If I were in the market for my first deer rifle, I would go Tikka or Browning in 270. That one rifle will serve you for the rest of your life. Buy a nice one as you will always remember that rifle.