That's true. Probably not a great choice, but a very nice caliber.

Had a game warden fire my .270, his comment, "that's a nice firing weapon, don't sell it". He built spoons on the side. Custom actions, oversized chambers, necked down hand loads, yadda yadda yadda...

It's accurate., time and time again.

I've had a Marlin 336C, purchased when I was 18 that's still as good as the day I bought her 35 years ago :D. One thing I noticed recently (and 4 years ago) was that when the shelves were barren, the good 'ol 30.30 was the most readily available ammo (other than shotspoon shells around here) when all the other fantastic calibers were unavailable. Still can't find 22lr around here...something to consider. I don't mind recoil (began shooting a 12 ga when I was a scrawny 9 year old), but even the 30.30 might be "too" much for a novice....YMMV.

Any rifle / cartridge combination suitable for hunting our common big game, from whitetails on up, is going to feel like it has a ton of recoil to the neophyte shooter. At least at first. Even the .243 / 6mm and .25 calibers. If it remains your only rifle, and you don't shoot it much, it will always feel like it has a lot of recoil. The only real cure is to shoot it a lot, all year long, and train yourself to deal with the recoil. That used to be assumed, in that not all that long ago, hunters used their rifles all year. It's become a real issue today, however.

Seems like there is a whole new class of modern hunter that has emerged in my lifetime. They are not shooters in the off season; they are not "riflemen" by any stretch of the imagination. They take the hunting rifle out of the back of the closet once a year, a week before opening day, and head to the range to check its zero (if we are lucky - many don't even do that). A single box of ammo will last these guys for years.

I hate to see this. Hunting is a far, far bigger commitment than many are willing to make these days. It really is a year 'round commitment. Most don't treat it that way anymore, though. Be honest with yourself - if you are unwilling (or unable) to make this level of commitment, maybe you should look at another passtime.

There are, of course, no shortage of modern contrivances to help these part time hunters. Everything from range finding, trajectory compensating scopes to rifle / cartridge combinations with greatly reduced recoil. Unfortunately, the latter tend toward light bullet / high velocity rounds in an effort to maintain that all-important "flat" trajectory. The part-time hunter, after all, needs to be able to tag that whitetail at 500 yards...

These light bullet / high velocity calibers are a mistake for big game hunting. They may be o.k. in an expert rifleman's hands, one who is intimately familiar with his rifle and big game anatomy. The unfortunate "catch 22" however, is that is not who is using these things - it's the neophytes who neither shoot enough nor know anything about big game anatomy. Granted, when these small bore high velocity numbers kill, they can kill spectacularly. When they fail, however, they can fail even more spectacularly. Failures to penetrate when the bullet comes apart on a bone or something are legion. They are absolutely worthless for quartering (especially away) shots, or for the infamous "Texas heart shot". Don't think for a minute that your shots will come at an animal standing broadside, like on a postcard or something. You need a caliber that will reach the vitals from any angle. The little .243 / 6mm's and .25's just won't do that.

So, all of that said, just start with any bolt gun that suits your fancy, and get it in .30-'06. Then learn to shoot it. Wear a strap-on recoil pad any time you shoot it, and shoot it a lot. Several boxes a month. You will soon become acclimated to its recoil. And again, if you can't or won't do that, find something else to do. Be honest with yourself. If you are willing and able to do that, well then, welcome to a magnificent obsession...

One thing about hunting rifles is that they don't tend to get fired a whole lot. If you find a 25.06 that you just love buy it. Sight it in with your optic of choice and a good middle of the road load from one of the top ammo makers. Once your happy with the set up buy a couple of hundred rounds. You will be set for years.

recoil is something that you can get used to. 7 million Americans during WWII had no issues firing a 30.06 out of an M1 Garand. I killed my frist white tail with an M1 at 14 years old. That rifle has a steel butt-plate and it kicked like a mule to a 14 year old. Now I don't find the recoil of an M1 to be all that bad. Mr. Higgins is 100% correct (post43) in that with a little practice you will soon have no issues with the recoil of just about any caliber suitable to North American big game.

The only rifle I fear shooting is my .450 Marlin. It's a small light weight lever gun and it will hammer you. I probably put less than 10 rounds a year through it and not all at the same time either...

No, Jeff I have to respectfully disagree with your remarks. The more lead you send down range affects the accuracy of the weapon due to bore wear. Wearing a recoil strap is nonsense.

When you are taking a shot at a live animal, your adreanalin will be cranking and you or your GF won't feel ANY recoil no matter what you are shooting. However, being new big game hunters, if you feel recoil discomfort during range outings, it will be a "worry" item for you on the hunt.

So, I'd get the GF a 243, mild recoil, accurate and plenty of energy for antelope/white tail/mule deer.

For you -- it all depends :-) 270 is great for long range antelope & deer, high velocity and flat shooting. But, it's recoil is almost as much as 30.06. So, unless you are expecting 350+ yd shots, I'd lean towards a .06. The 7mm mag is also very popular, and has about 10% more muzzle energy than an .06. The 7mm is probably too much gun for whitetail or antelope. fine for mule deer and elk.

I've shot antelope and deer the my 243, antelope and deer with my 270. antelope deer and elk with my .06, and elk with my 7mm. My favorite elk gun is a 300 Weatherby, but that's not a beginner gun and too much for anything smaller than a muley.

I'm partial to the 30.06 as a sensible all around big game rifle, with lots of available cartridges.

What every you buy, do not scrimp on optics and hunting ammo. Buy the best optics you can afford and premium hunting ammo. When adding the costs of your hunting trip, the ammo is in the noise, but will improve your probability of success.

Enjoy, what ever you decide.

A top quality bolt gun will easily shoot thousands of rounds before suffering any reduction in accuracy. Break the barrel in correctly, let it cool down between shots and you will be good to go. Several boxes a month is what 40-60 rounds. That isnt even a thousand rounds in a year. I would venture that after 2-3 months of this level of practice and you will be plenty comforatble. At that point you would only need to shoot a few rounds a month to maintain proficiency. These rifles are not bench rest accurate nor do they need to be. A 2-3 MOA rifle will bring down a deer all day long if the trigger puller does his/her job. So if you buy a 1 MOA rifle and put a couple of thousand rounds through it and it becomes a 2-3 MOA rifle (which is unlikely) it will still be accurate enough to do it's job.

I have match rifles that have digested thousands of rounds with no loss of accuracy, both over the course high power rifles, and black powder cartridge silhouette and long range rifles. The timed fire and rapid fire high power stages abuse rifles like no hunting rifle will ever (or should ever) see. I have .223 varmint rifles that have fired well over 10,000 rounds with no loss of accuracy.

Wearing a recoil pad is the single greatest aid to one's shooting that is available today. Ego gets in the way of a lot of guys breaking down and wearing one, but I will no longer shoot anything centerfire (at the range, or plinking - hunting is a different matter) without one. Even shooting the .223's over a prairie dog town demands a recoil pad. The effect is cumulative; even the .223 will leave a bruise and have you flinching if you are shooting it enough.

This is not about being a "manly man". No need to turn in the man card if you choose to wear a recoil pad. I have a couple of rifles chambered in .375 H&H, my favorite all-time hunting caliber (pre-'64 M70 and Ruger #1). I have another #1 in .458 Winchester Magnum (it has a very long throat, so I can seat bullets waaaay out to mimic .458 Lott loads). I follow my own advice and shoot these rifles regularly; several hundred rounds a year, each. I'm about as insensitive to recoil as a guy can be - yet I wear a "sissy pad" for a session with the .223's.

The recoil pad is especially important to the neophyte shooter. Nobody likes to do things (either on the conscious or subconscious levels) that hurt. One of the worst things I regularly witness at the range is some he-man shooter not allowing his new charge to wear a recoil pad. Nothing will ruin a new shooter faster than suffering the affects of recoil and being told to "man up". It's foolish and completely unnecessary.

I know I'm from the wrong side of the pond where we don't have guns n stuff, but if you're thinking about a .243 for your GF, don't buy one until she's shot a 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser. Pushes a heavier bullet slower ( I use 156g for all deer in the UK) and has really soft recoil. I may look at 7mm-08 for my next rifle but the swedish does everything I ask for it and has the almost the same ballistic coefficient as a .308 with much less felt recoil.

Never thought of it that way, Jeff. Shooting always seemed pretty simple. Got bored with prairie dog towns. Sure it's fun to knock the nuts off one at 400 yards with a .223, and to waste one with a .280 at 150, but it's no longer fun after that.

I don't shoot much anymore, if I do, there will be meat in the cooler.

This is just my personal opinion but I think a 270 is a good overall choice. A 243 has no discernible kick but for larger game it doesn't seem to have the knock down power of a 270. A 30-06 will knock down most anything in the lower 48 but it has a kick to it. A 30-30 has too short of a range for big open field hunting. All that being said, a nice Model 70 270 would be my choice if I could only have one.

To the OP, I would try and push your GF toward a 243 instead of a 22. A 22 is really only good for rabbits, gophers, and plinking.

The old 6.5 Swede is my all-time favorite medium bore. My current Swede is a Ruger #1 Light Sporter, with just the open sights. Talk about a sweet little rifle to carry all day and shoot once. It's favorite load is the Lapua 155 grain round nose (or the now reintroduced Hornady 160 grain round nose will do in a pinch) over a good stiff charge of Reloder 22. It gets about 2400 fps and is a joy to shoot.

My previous 6.5 Swede was a newer push feed Model 70 Featherweight. I gave it to my oldest son when he turned 12. He's killed a pile of stuff with it. I had a couple of '96 Mausers before that - what sweet little rifles.

The old Swede, unfortunately, never caught on over here. In the U.S., the medium bores are all about very high velocity and the flat trajectory possible with that. A lumbering, heavy for caliber round nose isn't sexy enough for American hunters. But boy, are they good killers. Penetration that far exceeds what folks expect from their .300 Remchester Ultra Short Action Eargeschplitzen Loudenboomer. That was what earned the little 6.5x55 and 6.5x54 (Mannlicher-Schoenauer) their sterling reputations - penetration engendered by heavy for caliber bullets at moderate velocities (so they don't break up). It works - but, alas, it doesn't sell here.

In the end, not a great idea for a new, or a one rifle hunter here in the states. It's too bad; it would serve well as a serious hunting rifle that is actually quite effective, for the honestly recoil shy.

As others may have said- it depends on your hunt. For deer, I used to use a .243. Light, fast round in 80 grain bullet. I no longer wish to gut-out a deer. Had a 30-30 & 30.06- but always took the .243. For grouse I use a 20 gauge. Turkey I use a 20 gauge/.222 over/under.

I like the 308. Actually, I like my friends 308. I was one of the 300Win Mag shooters and couldn't believe a flinch I noticed on a round with a bad primer. Sold that and went to 7mm Rem Mag in a nice 700 BDL, and it still kicks pretty hard but you acclimate unless you just got off an AR-15. Would still trade it straight up for a 308 or 30-.06 for the versatility judt in case I ever do that western guided elk hunt thing.

The 308 in a 700 is a pleasure to shoot for hours, and has plenty of stopping power.

The 7mm Rem Mag is more versatile than either the 30.06 or the .308. Kicks harder too.....

Everybody who shoots this round loves it. .257 Roberts is another fave.

Shot my first several deer with a sporterized '98 Mauser in .257 Roberts. Peep sight (still had the big wing safety), cut down military stock that was a gorgeous, almost black walnut. Gawd I miss that rifle. One of the indiscretions of youth - it wasn't "modern" or "cool" enough when I was in my teens, so as soon as I could make up the difference, it was sold and a M70 in .30-'06 was purchased. That was the schiz - I could scope it, and it was a "real" hunting rifle, not some hacked up military castoff. Damn. Damn how I wish I knew then what I know now.

Oh, and the M70 now wears a peep sight as well, and I load nothing but 200 grain Partitions for it. It's an honest 200 yard (or more) hunting rifle, and if I'm really "hunting", that's more than enough.

hindsight is always 20-20.

I would look into the Ruger American. A lot of bang for your buck. ( no pun intended) American made and you cannot beat Rugers customer service. You could saw this gun in half and they would fix it for free in about 2 weeks time. Ruger American Rifle® Bolt-Action Rifle Models Now I for one believe that guns should be wood and metal, but this is a bargain that is almost indestructible.