The 6.5 Grendel makes a fine first deer rifle. Recoil in same class as the .243 or perhaps a tiny bit less. No holdover needed out to about 250 yards. These days you will probably lase the target at longer ranges, so the difference in trajectory can be ignored. The Grendel bucks wind better than the .243 Win. The 6.5 mm bullets outperform the six mm bullets when they hit the target too.
The Grendel works excellently in the AR-15 and commercial bolt rifles are around the corner.
