All great points but i will put this out there also i am a sgt in the military and as far as shooting goes all i do is technique. I have my shooting abilities down and i know what i am capable of.
Secondly the recoil is not something i am a stranger too either. And when it comes to reletless practice to make something perfect i can endur the discomfort long enough to get it right until i cant get it wrong.
Also please dont take this as me being cocky or arrogant. I greatly appreciate all of your input and will consider all factors and weapons that are put forth.
Im looking for those larger caliber magnums because i dont make insane amounts of money that allow me to buy a rifle for every different hunting situation that there is. That being sad i want something that i know can handle the large game animals as well as be downloaded for the medium game even if it is still a little over kill.
With all due respect, I have heard many military men cite their shooting of the SAW and M240 as 'able to handle the recoil'
Unfortunately, that is an apple-to-oranges comparison. Please tell us what experience you have in shooting that will prepare you for the recoil of a 300 RUM, 300 Winmag, or 7mm Remmag.
Regarding the attitude of 'downloading' for medium game and target shooting...it just doesn't happen that way. People who run two loads mentally default to the performance of the more often shot one when they are in the midst of a hunting situation, in addition to the trouble of constantly re-zeroing as you switch between loads as I mentioned on your other thread.
I know where you are coming from as far as a rifle and price. The idea is to spend more now and make ONE purchase that will last a lifetime and can be used on all hunting situations.
But that's a false premise. For starters, ever heard the saying 'Jack of all trades master of none'? That's what you are setting yourself up for. You are attempting to select a gun that is capable of doing the rare 1% of hunting but in the process giving yourself a big handicap for the more common 99% of hunting.
Second if you can afford to buy one rifle now, you can probably afford to buy one more rifle 5-10 years from now. Further, if this isn't true, then you probably cannot afford the OTHER costs associated with the rare 1% of hunting you are considering when buying your gun. For instance, if a hunter wants to make a 500 yard shot, then he should realize that his ammo consumption to gain and maintain that level of skill is going to be more than the price of a decent rifle...even if that shooter also hand-loads. Most elk hunters own ATVs or horses for getting out beyond the roads and for hauling out the animal once shot. (I do NOT consider an elk hunter who just packs out the rack, or even who just packs out 50 pounds of meat leaving 500 pounds to rot to be an ethical hunter). Heck I just looked it up and a non-resident New Mexico Bull Elk license is $550 all by itself.
Third, people are allowed to sell rifles they 'outgrow'...OR set them aside to be used by a future wife, son, or daughter.
Fourth, one one side of shooting you have technique which is the same if you are shooting a 22, 223, 30-06, or a 460 weatherby. But you also have recoil management where you need to worry about developing a flinch, being able to get a fast follow-up shot, etc etc. In that way shooting is like lifting weights...you work up to the heavier stuff. Think about how useful it would be for a kid who wants to start lifting weights to put 200 pounds on the bar and press against it every day hoping that some day he will lift it vs starting at 100 and working his way up. You don't have to start by lifting 10 pounds (22 LR rifle) but it is unwise to start at 200 pounds (7mm remmag, 300 winmag).
I think you'd be much better off getting a DECENT gun in a low recoiling caliber matched with a good scope with the intent of it being your learning gun plus the gun your wife, son, or daughter will learn on if/when they want to take up hunting at your side.
In this regard, I recommend you get a Weatherby Vanguard Synthetic in 25-06 or a Marlin XS 7 in 243, Something in the $400 price range and top it off with a $150 scope. Learn with it. Then keep it for a wife/son/daughter or sell it for 75% of your initial investment. Consider that $100 to $200 'investment' loss you will take when you sell it to be an investment in rifle #2. (After all, you seem the type that if you were asking about rifle model A for $700 if people here heavily recommended rifle model B for $850 to be much superior, that you'd pay the extra $150, right?)
Or heck, get yourself a Mosin Nagant for $99.99. People say they are 'inaccurate' but even an inaccurate Mosin is in my experience capable of 5 MOA accuracy, which is plenty good for learning on.
I know i am jumping around a lot on you guys on which caliber rifle i want to get but i dont want to make a decision on a rifle in a week or even a month and then regret the choice i have made either because it kicks my butt up and down the range or because it doesnt have the oomph that i am looking for.
I am glad you made the very reasonable decision to move to a 270, 308, or 30-06. However everything I said above still holds. If you don't like the gun you can sell it and get 75% of your investment back.
Now using some information from your posts, let's be honest. It seems like you are going to be doing the vast majority of your hunting for the next 5 years in Texas, hunting for white-tail deer and similar sized game. Texas whitetails are known to be small. It's one of the few places where hunting deer with a 223 is a reasonable option especially for a beginner. Hunting whitetails in Texas, to be successful, you don't look for a ton of power you look for a flat shooting cartridge. I STRONGLY recommend a 243, 25-06, or similar round for Texas Whitetail hunting. This isn't even a 'new guy should avoid killer recoil' thing, this is simply 'the tool that seems to work best'. The fact that the 243 and 25-06 are light recoiling numbers great to learn on is a happy coincidence. Also, there is no whitetail deer on this continent that a 243 with a quality bullet can't drop. 25-06 is considered the 'minimum' for elk, so power isn't going to be a factor no matter where you end up.
When you reach the point in your life where you can really drop $2000 on a hunting trip, then you'll also be at a point in your life where you can buy a dedicated elk rifle (or dedicated whatever rifle for whatever specialty hunt you are going to do)
