First rifle after .22

First off, neither the .308 or .30-06 is a bruiser. Second the gun has to fill a need and if you're lookin at Elk either makes a great choice. You aren't gonna get much reduction in recoil from other calibers and still retain the capability you want. As for being recoil sensitive............ Man up and practice.
 
.30-06 recoil is just not that heavy. Every American soldier in WWI and WWII trained with and shot it. It's a sporting round now and NOT a punisher. No need for limb saver, PAST, padding stuffed inside your shirt, sandbag between gun and shoulder, reduced loads or any such silliness, especially for someone 70" and 180 lbs. Tuck the rifle firmly into your shoulder and fire away. You don't even need to man up. My 10 YO grandson shoots .30-06. He's hardly a man. People need to stop thinking .30-06 recoil is anything tough to deal with. Its just not.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I'm gonna go with a 30-06, and Im not gonna skimp. It's not that I was scared of the recoil...I have never shot a rifle that powerful and didnt want to develop bad habits. I was wondering when I was gonna get told to man up and stop worrying. HAHA. But, I will start with smaller loads and a shooting vest.
 
I have never ever heard anyone say "This recoil pad is too soft and reduces recoil too much." I think the shooting shirt/vest isn't the best idea as it is sort of a pain. A good pad on the rifle is always there.

I use the slip-on Kick-Eez pads on a few hunting shotguns. I would not use them on a rifle as they do not fit that tightly and are not stable. There are glue on options and more expensive ones that tie on and such.

A "BAR" won't have much recoil as they are hefty and semi-auto. You said you weren't going to skimp...
 
I would say 223. Fun to shoot, easy to find inexpensive ammo. Good performance out of a bolt action. I would not carry it into battle but fine for deer and below. Great for pdogs.
 
So, I'm getting a shotgun for home defense...and I have roughly $600-700 for a 30-06 and scope. So the Model 70 will have to come later.

If you had $600-700 to spend what do you get? Not buying used.
 
My father moved me from a 22LR to a 30-30. It is a good deer round with little recoil.

I think a 223 or a pistol caliber lever action would be good bets as well. I would not start a kid off on a 30-06, while the recoil is not super bad it may be more than some body that is use to a 22 could handle.
 
Ruger American Rifle in 270 and Nikon Pro Staff or Vortex croosfire 2 for right around $600

308 not bad either . I have the american in 308 and it is very accurate . I have to say the stock is a little cheap feeling . It does not suck but I could have been made better .

Savage trophy hunter combo for $500 looks pretty good . It comes with the accu-trigger and you can get it in many cals 223 , 308 , 30-06 to name a few It come with the nikon pro staff scope as well .I have 2 rifles made by Savage . They make a good rifle .
 
@ O'smagik: If I had your budget and wanted to buy a new hunting rifle, I'd get a Savage 111 in .30-06 and mount a 3x9 Bushnell Elite 3200 or Sightron SII on it. I'd pass on the rifle with scope package, the scope is the weak point of the package.
 
I wanna compare the Savage to the Weatherby Vanguard Series 2.


Also, should I consider stainless?

And, would you consider rifles under $350 to be "throw away rifles"? I've been seeing that term linked to the value rifles.
 
Sure, why not compare the two. IIRC Vanguards are Howa's. Read about them and the Savage before you buy. Dry fire both and try the triggers. Work the bolts. Handle them and see which you like the best. If there's any way at all to fire either or both before you buy, that would be great too.

Nothing wrong with stainless. But you'll still need to clean the rifle. The stainless is nice if you hunt for an extended time in bad weather. Otherwise, no real advantage in my mind. Some people like the look, I can take it or leave it.

The really low priced rifles aren't throwaway, they're not likely to ever actually wear out. They're just not as high quality in areas that matter to a lot of people. I.E. stocks can be not so hot, triggers not so hot, fit and finish not so hot, smoothness of action not so hot, etc. And most of them don't have upgrades available for the not so hot bits.
 
Backwoods,
With this rifle I plan to one day hunt Elk. While 270 is fully capable it seems like the 30-06 or 308 is a little more versatile. I have studied the ballistics and read all the stories how the 30-30 was/is more than enough for elk.

thanks guys
 
Sounds to me like a Win Mod 70, chambered in 30-06 will do just fine. Everyone has their pet chamberings, but if you noticed almost everything is "compared" to the 30-06. There is a good reason for it.

As for recoil, if it is a bit much for you in stock configuration, A good "magnum" style recoil pad can be added to tame it down a bit. I happen to like the performance of the Kick-eze recoil pads. They do absorb well.

Remember that in you OP you said that this is to be a lifetime rifle. That money will be well spent on a Winchester.
 
Update.

Because of upcoming moving expenses, the need for a new roof on the home out West, and realizing I need a handgun...I decided it wasnt the best idea to drop 1K on a nice rifle/scope. So, I ordered the Savage 111 Trophy Hunter XP 30-06 accutrigger with a Nikon 3-9X40 BDC and got me a Smith & Wesson M&P9c.

I gonna start with 125 grain loads and build up.

This is my first handgun as well, and it was between that and the Glock 19. However finding any Glocks or M&P's in the local area was getting real tough and I got lucky when I found the 9mm for $479 plus tax. The Savage was $479 out the door total (including ffl fees from Buds).

I plan on using a grip extender with a 17 round magazine to make the 9mm a home defense weapon, but with the flexibility for a CCW down the road if I please.

Since I saved some money by going this route, I gonna use that to justify getting into reloading when I get settled back west..haha

Thanks to the folks who offered advice and I will post a pic when I can (the county said 15 day wait for handgun permit)
 
I want to say I really liked the Ruger American for the price. But its so new that I'm not so sure you can get an aftermarket stock for it. The Savage has tons of support for upgrading. The Ruger American would be a great backup rifle, no doubt.
 
Ruger Compact Magnum in .308. The caliber is more than enough for deer and elk. Shoot lighter bullets for deer and move up to 180's for elk. It is a combination that has worked for me for more than 40 years. Get what you want but don't let anyone tell you the .308 isn't adequate.
 
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