History:

Maimed a spike over the weekend with a quartering away shot. I shoot left handed/left eye. He went straight down on impact but got back up and kept trying to stand. He was moving rapidly up and down, so i couldn't get a decent follow up shot to knick him in the heart. I figure the amount of times he went down, he was done and id see a good trail to track him with. Well I was very wrong. There was 2 drops of blood, and no pooling in any of the spots he laid down at. My uncle thinks i was a hair off on the angle and got his shoulder and lodged it in the brisket causing no blood trail and that my.223 was too small to do enough damage. I went a researched the.223, and pardon my lack of knowledge, that the .223 is not ideal for anything better than profile/broadside shots, and highly controversial. I have taken down 3 deer in 3 years with this lil gun (savage axis) and and now feel that i really got lucky i havent injured other deer. I do have really good shot placement broadside and at the range. All deer were taken down broadside in the past with instant drop.

Question:

For best price rifle + best price ammo and ammo availability + with lower recoil + ability to shoot bigger game up north. What calber would you suggest? I've seen most discussions about.257 roberts, 25-06, .257 Weatherby, and .308. I'm right by a range so getting it out and acclimating to kick is no problem.

Thanks!

7mm08, .308, 6.5 Creed to list 3. Bear in mind that the recoil/ kick will also be in direct relation to the weight of the entire gun also. Heavier the gun the less recoil felt.

7mm-08, FTW.

308 for all the boxes you want checked.

7mm-08. My 16 yr old daughter shoots hers with no problem.

You need to drop the idea of 257Weatherby if you want cheap ammo and lower recoil. My wife hunts with one, it's a hammer for sure, but it also hammers the shoulder. And good factory ammo will be upwards of $80-$100 a box.

Get a 308, plenty of choices of ammo, it can be had pretty cheap, recoil isn't bad but that's a biased opinion.

I'd be looking for a short action rifle in either .308, 7-08, or 6.5creedmor. All 3 of these calibers can be had in a Savage Axis if you like that rifle

My vote is for the 7mm08 deadly round. I have been shooting it for tears and love it.

Don't take bad shots. If broadside works you should have waited. Big guns don't make bad shot placement better.

What kind of bullets you shoot in your 223?

308, just in case you have a chance to go after bigger stuff. Can get low recoil ammo for this. A lot of options. Same with 30 06 or 270.

A lot of good options have already been mentioned but my vote would be for a 308 mainly for the price of ammo compared to the others.

308 stands out of those you listed. You will be able to shoot the heavier bullets if you need that for the bigger game you referenced. It also is head and shoulders above the others in ammo availability/price.

Lots of good suggestions above. Keep in mind that a muzzle brake can tame a lot of these larger calibers down to a much softer recoil.

I have a left handed 308 ruger scout rifle I would sell...accurate, easy to supress if you want one in time, and 308 you could get any where. You can buy reduced loads for the 308 that kick about like a 243...

How about $600 for a fellow lefty...or I have a right handed gun in a 260 for sale...Styer Prohunter

In this ad...


http://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/6569182/Re:_Rifles_for_sale#Post6569182

Ed

I've owned ever caliber you mentioned. Except Roberts.

I grab one of two calibers now...257 weatherby or one of my two 6.5 creedmoors.

If ammo cost is a concern get the creedmoor.

Biggest thing really comes down to how long a gun you prefer. 257 wby needs a 26" barrel. Creedmoor you can go 20-26 and not loose much velocity or get finicky on powder. A 6.5 creedmoor with 24" barrel will be 3-4" shorter then a 257wby with 26" barrel.

Nothing in Lower 48 you couldnt hunt with either out side grizzly

More deer killed in the US with a .30-.30 than any other round, then .30-.06.
That said, I personally prefer the .270.

308, 7mm/08, 6.5 Creedmore would be my choices.
Decent ammo for all 3 for anywhere from 20-30 bucks. I think Hornady's American Whitetail is around 20 bucks for any of them and they get the job done close and far.

When buy a rifle from the big manufacturers, Remington, Winchester, Savage etc, the price is the same regardless of caliber, within reason.
So buy plenty of gun.

M

The 257 Roberts is a nice round but a bit soft for the "ability to shoot bigger game up north".

308 based on what you want to do,

Only comment I'll add is the Wally World caliber consideration. Stuff like the 257 can be cool and all but not only is it pricey but rarely seen at small town Walmarts. I always recommend to pick a much more common caliber, let's say any small town Walmart is very likely to carry, if one does not own a bunch of different rifles.
U may think you'll never forget your ammo on hunt, but so did everyone who accidentally forgot their ammo on a hunt. That's why they call it an accident.

In your position I'd go either 243 ( which still seems a bit small), 7-08 or 308 (probably the best choice like others said)

There isn't another caliber that's more versatile with easy to find ammo than the .270. That's why I own two of them. And if needed, the increased recoil can be tamed with Remington Managed Recoil ammo. The recoil produced with this ammo, which is very effective out to 150 yards, is less than a .243.

Lets consider this question from several different aspects to arrive at an great Average Hunting Rifle consensus...

1. How far is the "average distance shot expected?"...under/over 300 yards?
2. WTail sized critters only, or +2-300lb hogs expected? Any other game critters & avg weight expected?
3. How many rounds a year expected to burn in practice & actually hunting on an annual basis. Easy close Access to most economical retailers in the OP's home markets? aka time and distance expended to buy ammo?
4. Factory ammo only at this time? OR does the OP reload YET or expect to some time later in life?
5. ANY Recoil sensitivity Issues? Any Other shooters to bre concerned with(wife / family members / sub teen or other aged children / buddies) going to use the same rifle on a regular basis?

So with a basic framework to work from thr info ID'd agreed on we csn arrive at the Great Average Hunting Rifle Caliber...Given the answers to these parameters for primarily a White Tail - Mule Deer & Possibly an Elk rifle + under 2-300 lb Feral Hogs ....I'd offer these calibers in no particular order of preference, from my experiences in Selling to Stocking Gun Retailers & Big Box Stores both as a distributor and as a Factory Rep in 5 states and & 50 years of personal use shooting at mostly Texas Game Critters ...30'06, 270, 308, as my top 3 picks. The next 3 picks would include in no particular order 7-08, 243, 25-06. Each of these calibers have the potential to become a lifetime do all purchase.

FWIW if you look at the the big box retailers Annual Hunting Ammo Sale Flyers aka the very cheapest ammo price of the year items they ALWAYS include 30'06, 270, 308, 243 & 7RMg and usually 30-30. **IMO the Days of 30-30 dominating new rifle sales in the US has passed as interest in longer ranges calibers becomes more and more prevalent.

My own personal favorites within the above Great Average Usage over the last 50 years has been the 270 for everyday day in and day out under 300 yard performance in the least expensive factory ammo. Have I owned and enjoyed many other calibers?...of course I have and own calibers outside of the Pick 6 right now in the smallest # of rifles on hand I've ever owned as I continue to downsize the on hand shooters. I do not have sons who are interested in my Hobbies and intend to relieve my wife of the chore in disposing of my hunting rifles when my time comes to the inevitable foreseeable end.

As FiremanJG posted recently as an accomplised Reloader & Long Distance Shooter, if I had to only be able to have ONE Caliber I'd have a 7-08 & I am in total agreement with that idea with FJG's expanded Range parameters past the OP's 300 yards limitations in mind...but the OP is a NOT a reloader either if I read his OP right. If Elk were on my available Menu regularly I'd lean more towards the 30'06 for a One Gun guy.

The calibers I've used the most over my lifetime have been 270, 300WMg, 257 Rbts', 243 in the '70's and not since then, and most recently a 6.5 something in Swede & 260. If I were to pick 2 calibers for a Do All Anywhere battery and be as frugal as possible with factory ammo PLUS Reload for them I'd pick the 7Rmg & 7-08 but for the ONE Gun Hunter the top 3 ammo sales calibers of 30'06, 270 & 308 tells the tale and will IMO cover 98% of anyones needs in North America...not particularly sexy but very practical at the bottom line, particularly for a beginning shooter.
JMHO & YMMV
Ron

Remington 783 in.308 is right up your alley. Already comes with a great recoil pad and has been a great shooter for me

.308 would probably be the most versatile choice to fit your criteria with the most abundant ammo selection and can be had for pretty cheap. All the calibers you mentioned are excellent IMO, I particularly like the 7mm-08.