[mtbkr]

Originally Posted by FallAirFever

Of the two chamberings I would point you to the 308win. My first hunting rifle was a Ruger in 270 win, it is a pretty snappy rifle recoil wise, a Limbsaver tamed it down nicely. I took a moose and a bunch of that deer with that gun, it worked great, accurate and enough power to put animals down, mostly at less than 100 yards. I could never get 150 gr bullets to group as well as 130s in that gun, not a big issue as I always ran with a tough bullet (TSX or Partition).

I gave that rifle to my son to shoot with reduced recoil loads he shoots it very well and I hope he gets his first deer with it this year.

I bought myself a 308 when I gave my son the 270. The 308 has less recoil, short action, burns less powder and has a large selection of bullets. I had no issues getting this rifle to group right off the bat with hand loads. I have taken a few deer with it, great performance, longest kill 220 yards.

I think for a first gun the 308 Win is a awesome choice. It is inherently accurate, nice short action, lots of bullet choices, ususally redily available ammo if you go store bought, easy to reload and not a powder hog if you roll your own, managable recoil for the first time shooter.

I think the 7mm-08 deserves a look as well.

As far as what rifle, look at everything in your price range and find the one that fits you best and has the features you are looking for. The Savage 110/111 are a very good choice at a good price, but not for everyone.

Good luck with your decision, have fun with it. Don't forget to spend a good chunk of money on glass and budget for mounts, case, cleaning supplies.....

Thank you all for the great info and recommendations. The Savage 111/11 has been at the top of my list. It comes in left handed which is what I'm after.
Looks like I'll go with the .308 then. FallAirFever or others: Do you know if headspacing would be an issue if I decided to practice some of my shooting with military surplus ammo? Anyone see any reason to avoid non-corrosive military surplus ammo? I don't handload (yet) so I'll be buying all my ammo.

Thanks!