I am trying to decide on a rifle to purchase. This will be my first rifle. I have had a 12 gauge shotgun, and a 22 forever. I have had a handgun for the last few years. I have so far decided on a Weatherby Vanguard rifle and a Leupold Rifleman 3-9X50 scope. I put this in in case I am missing something obvious with these two choices. I would like to find a caliber that I could use for whitetail deer hunting in the future, but the main use will be shooting at the range. I would like to find a caliber that I could use to learn to shoot up to around 300 yards. Of the available calibers suitable for white tale deer hunting ,which ones will offer the accuracy at range, with the lowest ammo cost? From what I can tell from internet research (0 practical knowledge) is that the calibers I am looking at have a comparable recoil to what I get from my 12 gauge loaded with bird shot. I do not think any of the calibers listed below have enough recoil to cause a problem, but please let me know if they would.
Calibers that I am thinking about:
.223 (Maybe a little under powered)
.270
.308 and
.30-06.
I am currently leaning towards the .30-06 or the .308 because of the cheaper ammo cost. What would some of you guys with a lot more experience suggest?
Calibers that I am thinking about:
.223 (Maybe a little under powered)
.270
.308 and
.30-06.
I am currently leaning towards the .30-06 or the .308 because of the cheaper ammo cost. What would some of you guys with a lot more experience suggest?