I'm new to hunting and want to ask for a gun for my birthday. I've been hunting with my grandpa and uncles for a few years now s

[remingman870]

When the first time I shot a 30-06 I think I was twelve or thirteen I was expecting way more recoil, but it was less than 12ga turkey mags. It's not a whole lot more than a 30-30. If I could only have on caliber it would be the 30-06.
What Rifle and model do you have in mind?

[Sarge01]

I gave my 12 year old Grandson a Tikka T3 Lite .308 with a Simms Limb Saver recoil pad on it and he loves it. He has killed a couple deer with it and he says the recoil is nil. The choice of bullets for the .308 is endless. I had put a Nikon 3X9X50 Buckmaster scope on it. I have 5 or 6 Nikon Buckmaster scopes and they have served me fine even on some hard recoiling rifles. The Tikka T3 Lite only weighs 6 1/2 pounds minus the scope.

[chuckles]

Njb123, there is lots of good advice here. I would second the guys who recommended a .308 or 7mm-08. I also like the .270 as an all around cartidge and I have used mine on elk with good results. Any of the three will give good service. Someone posted above about trying different calibers out first and if you can swing it I promise you will be glad you did. When doing so make sure you factor in the wieght of the rifle you are shooting in evaluating recoil. It makes a big difference.
I am going to respectfully disagree with Panfry in that I think you should practice with your rifle as much as humanly/financially possible especially as a new shooter. It will pay off in the field. Also do not just shoot from the bench. Try sticks, kneeling, etc. Good luck and enjoy whatever you get!

[99explorer]

Njb123 - You have made the right decision. Congratulations and good luck.

[Njb123]

Panfry101, optics will be my next post...

[Panfry101]

Well to begin with you're worrying considerably too much about recoil. Don't get me wrong, I, and I can speak for most of the population out here, does not like recoil. They say that those who like recoil also like dental pain, and I don't think that's wrong. That being said, get a .308 winchester. A 30'06 will not have too much recoil. You do not notice recoil in the field, and once you have your rifle sighted in you only need to check it for a zero before the hunt. You're worrying about it too much. Personally, I would get a .308 because of the extensive ammunition options, and it's extremely universal. Good luck and good hunting. Now you get to start researching optics...haha!

[Njb123]

Safado, thanks for the information. You really helped me out a lot! Your right about the elk. I'm just going to focus on good deer cal.

[RJ Arena]

I would say a .30-06 also, there are many around that are used but in great shape, also so many weights and bullet styles available it would make a fantastic first rifle, a good all-round caliber that you can shoot forever, you may get new rifles in the future, but you will never outgrow a .30-06!

[Safado]

Also, someone above said that this will not be your only firearm purchase. That is so true. Don't feel that you have to do everything with one gun because you end up compromising. If the majority of your hunting will be whitetail get a whitetail rifle. If you are fortunate enough to hunt elk in the future deal with that then. I like the fact that you want to practice and target shoot, contrary to OHH's comments you will shoot a lot of ammo and if you do that with a rifle that kicks (30-06 or .300 Win Mag) you will feel it. I practice with a soft recoiling rifle like a 22-250 or .308 and hunt with a .270, 308 or 30-06.

[Safado]

Njb123,
There is a lot of good advice here. Contrary to what some of the guys are saying here; if you are recoil sensitive stay away from the 30-06 until you overcome that sensitivity. Otherwise you will develop a flinch. I know, Ive been there done that...bought the t-shirt. I would go with the .308 for several reasons; light to moderate recoil depending on rifle and bullet weight, availability of ammo is outstanding and you can use it on anything from varmints to black bears. I can recommend the 7mm-o8 as well but ammo availability and cost may be an issue.

[WA Mtnhunter]

If I were a one-rifle hunter, it would be the .308 Winchester if I was not a handloader and a .280 Remington if I were a handloader. I hunted everything from coyotes to deer to elk with a .308 Win for many years.

[rfleer87]

A .270 will do the job especially if you hit the animal in the right area but if want more bang get a 30-6 or .308.

[Njb123]

Thanks guys for more great advice. Ontario Honker, I'll be hunting in western Wisconsin (in between buffalo cand trempeleau county) and the terrain there is pretty hilly. We usually go on a lot of drives but do a decent amount of sitting as well... I'm not really concerned about weight, that's not an issue. I do plan on target shooting as much as possible, that's why I brought up recoil. And I know the 30-06 ammo is pretty cheap so that sounds appealing. I'll keep up the research on the perfect fit for me.

Sarge01, I'll have to look into that...

Keep sharing your thoughts! It's helping me out a lot.

[Ontario Honker Hunter]

Some consideration needs to be given to wastage. I was with my buddy when he shot his buck with 25-06 this fall and the lighter bullet made a mess of it! Really was a shame. Many years ago I was also pretty disgusted with the damage and poor "knock down" performance of 165 grain 30-06 used on mule deer and I dropped that bullet weight after half a box. Went back to 180 grains for both deer and elk. I WILL NOT shoot at deer or elk at 300-400 yards. We have been down the road about the reasons for that enough on here. If you feel you might need to be shooting at elk out at that distance (which I don't recommend in any event) then the 300 Win would be the gun for that. But it is heavier and kicks hard so you'll pay the price. A .308 WOULD NOT be the gun for that kind of hunting (doesn't reach and not enough power left at the end of its range) and no one should be shooting at elk with a 25-06. Period. The SKIN on the back of big bulls like the ones in my profile album can be an inch thick! It's still pretty thick over their shoulders. Forget all the blabber about shot placement. There's too many things you can't control when placing a shot with marginal bullets: big bones, wind factor, skin thickness, unexpected movement of animal or shooter, where the bullet will travel after impact, etc., etc. Get the caliber you KNOW will do the job without blowing up the meat or your shoulder. Or letting an animal walk away buggered up.

I can never understand all this wimping about recoil anyway. Really, I can't remember when the last time was I shot more than a half dozen rounds in the field during a season. If you do, something is very wrong! With you, not the gun. If you like playing at the range, then buy another light recoil gun for that purpose (maybe something in black plastic, which seems to be all the rage on the range these days).

Also, it sounds to me like this fella is deer hunting in the east which usually precludes any of the mountain top to mountain top or cross-prairie long shot hunting we are familiar with out west. He's likely going to be doing MOST of his hunting in brushy situations and not long shots. A 25-06 would not be a good choice in that situation and neither would hopped up lightweight bullet larger calibers. Poor performance in heavy cover. A 180 gr 30-06 would be perfect. I suspect he's also blind/stand hunting so a heavier long action rifle isn't going to be an issue since he's not going to be carrying it around all day. If he's worried about recoil the extra weight will be a blessing. Sounds like he will be growing into a big gun anyway.

[Sarge01]

I have Simms Limb Saver recoil pads on all of my rifles. My gunsmith says a Simms Limb Saver recoil pad takes as much recoil away as a muzzle brake. After using one for years and years I agree with him.