New to Hunting, looking to buy my 1st rifle

With proper technique, a .308 Win in an 8+# rifle should not be a problem. Nevertheless, going to a .243 Win or 7mm-08 Rem will reduce recoil if your shoulder is sensitive. Both of these calibers are perfectly useful for deer and, if bacon is on your menu, I'd prefer the 7mm-08. I've been very pleased with the 7x57 in a Win Model 70 which is virtually the same ballistically as the 7mm-08 and is a light-recoiling rifle.

Harry

7mm-08 gets my vote as well. TC Venture is a good buy and a tackdriver. I own 4 Ventures in various calibers now and am completely satisfied.

I think the .308 is a good choice, IMHO. Not as flat-shooting as the 7mm, but very easy to find quality ammo for and pretty good out to 300 yards.

.30-06 is the round by which all other hunting cartridges are judged for a reason. That said, there are plenty of others that will suit you just fine. Deer and hogs aren't especially tough, nor are the ranges very long for the most part. Anything .243 or better is suitable. If elk or moose will be on the menu, I'd suggest .270 or better.

I do nearly all of my big game hunting with a .25-06, including elk. I do have a .350 mag for pigs, but that's because I had always wanted a 673 guide gun in .350, and don't want to screw around with swapping out scopes and night vision on my other rifles. Many in our group use .308s, and a few use .22-250s.

Either a 30-06 or a 308 is a good choice. I personally like a 30-06 because ammunition is always available at a reasonable price. When an ammunition shortage comes around the 308 is always the first to disappear from the shelves. Just as important as the cartridge is that the rifle has a stock with a length of pull that is the right length, and that it has a good recoil pad like a Pachmayr delelerator. Nothing is worse than shooting a rifle with a length of pull that is too long. The stock & recoil pad will take away a good percentage of the felt recoil. The rifle including scope should weigh about 8 1/2 pounds. If you decide to load your own you can reduce the powder charge to lower the recoil even further for target shooting, and then shoot higher velocity loads for hunting. Good luck on your choice.

The 30-06 is also regarded as the first calibre that will find you wanting if you are recoil sensitive. I hunt with a 30-06 but would recommend the .308 out of the two given the shoulder surgery and the species that will be in the crosshairs.

In fact given the above I would recommend a 6.5X55mm with 140gr bullets.

I always say that rifle choice is much more important than caliber choice, so step 1 should be to find a rifle that fits you. If you prefer a compact model with a short length of pull (LOP) as I do, then you may be limited to short action calibers (e.g. 308).

If you're not reloading and the rifle you want is available in 308 and 30-06, then the 308 is what I would pick. A 308 will be a few ounces lighter, a half an inch shorter, and there will be more varieties of ammo available. Either caliber will allow you to buy inexpensive ($0.50/round) steel cased ammo to practice with, and then buy whatever ammo variety you want for hunting. I would avoid the 7mm-08 if you plan to practice shooting a bit. The cheapest 7mm-08 ammo is $0.90/round, which is 80% more expensive than the cheapest 308 ammo.

Since you don't hand load, 308. It comes close enough to 30-06 to not matter with noticeably less recoil. I'd also consider 243. It has considerably less recoil than 308 and is plenty enough gun for your intended game species. Ammo is readily available and cheap. A 308 or 30-06 is really much larger than needed for deer/hogs and either would be a good all around gun if game such as elk or moose are also included.

For the hand loader the 260, 6.5X55, or 7-08 are also excellent choices that split the difference between 308 and 243. But ammo is less plentiful and more expensive if you don't load your own.

The rifle you are considering is one of the lighter versions. Recoil will be greater with lighter guns, so keep that in mind. I'd also look at the Ruger American in the same price range.

If it's Axis II vs. Ruger American, it's really up to whichever brand you like.

If it's Model 11 vs. Ruger American, there's not much to consider... get the Model 11.

For deer and hogs, the calibers mentioned already (.308, 7mm-08 and .243) are all fine choices. My personal favorite is the .308, but the other two are perfectly adequate for what you want. You won't be under-gunned with any of them.

As a bonus, all three of these are also widely available from rifle manufacturers. Take time to find which rifles fit you well (this makes a difference in felt recoil) and then get one in your chosen caliber.

When choosing a rifle, consider how much walking you'll be doing with it. If you can get by with a heavier rifle, do it. This will also reduce recoil (actual, not felt) because of Newtons Third Law. The weight of the rifle absorbs the energy from the fired shot, transferring less to you.

D.A.1, the length of pull is the distance from the front of the trigger to the rear of the recoil pad in the center of the pad. On a standard hunting rifle the length of pull is usually 13 1/2 inches but that may be too long for a person with shorter arms. It also applies to shooting in the winter when the shooter is wearing a coat. You don't want the heel of the stock to continuously catch on your clothing when you shoulder the rifle. If the rifle is to long for you to comfortable see through the scope a good gunsmith can take 1/4 inch or so off the rear of the stock in length and install a recoil pad if the rifle does not have a recoil pad. It makes all the difference in the world.

Where recoil is an issue, the game is limited to deer and hog, and hand loading is not being anticipated requiring availability of factory ammo, I would choose 7mm-08.

If you must choose between 30-06 and .308, again in factory ammo, then go with .308.

D.A.1 said:

My shoulder isn't sensitive...at least it hasn't been. But I didn't really want to chance tearing it up. I mean...not like I will be shooting 1000s of rounds every day so I think I should be good. But I will look at the 7mm and .243 as well. Right now, I am looking at the Savage Arms AXIS II or the 11/111 XP

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The .243 would be an excellent choice for deer as well as many other game species. Availability is not an issue and cost is significantly less than the other rounds you mention. Of the two rifles, I would definitely opt for the Model 11 XP. It comes equipped with the adjustable Accutrigger, one of (if not the) best production trigger on the market. The Nikon 3-9x40 scope gets very good reviews and is not your typical low budget no name scope that often comes with a packaged firearm. Currently retail is $499. The joys of hunting will serve you well. Good luck.

D.A.1, anther thing that is important for you if you select either a 30-06 or is 308 is to buy bullets weighing 150 grains or less. As the bullet weight gets heavier than 150 grains the recoil also gets heavier. There is a lot if difference in recoil between a 150 grain bullet and a 180 grain full hunting load.

Can you shoot any rifles first to see how your back holds up? Although great calibers, you can take deer and hog with less than 30-06/308. It would be tough to get a rifle and then have it cause problems with your back. I think a lot of it depends on your back.

Sorry, should have read your original post better. I vote for either one. I like 30-06 as that is what I grew up with but cheaper ammo with 308.

I basically use 3 cartridges for all of my hunting. The 25-06, 270 Winchester and 30-06. When loading a 130 grain bullet a 270 Winchester is very quick. The rifles are usually very accurate and I have yet to own one that wouldn't shoot less than one minute of angle. For deer & hog hunting a 270 Winchester would work very well and ammunition is readily available and reasonably priced. In an ammunition shortage the last ammunition on the shelves is 30-06, 300 Win Mag, 7 MM Rem mag, 270 Winchester and 243 Win. Some people would disagree but I have shot many animals with a 270 Winchester and they are a good deer & hog cartridge but a 270 doesn't don't have the knockdown power of a 30-06. When you come face to face with a 300 pound hog at 20 yards and the hair is standing up on his back and he is growling like a dog, and you realize he is not afraid of you a 30-06 is a better choice.