What rifle for my son?

Thanks everyone for all the help. I have another question, if I went with the 7MM 08 would that be ok for black bears as well?

 

Absolutely. I would have no qualms with shooting anything as big as Moose with a 7-08.

 

This is where I prefer the 308 over it. You can step up to 180 gr bullet for bigger game.

But for bear, the 7mm-08 is great

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I agree. That's the major attraction to a .308

 

Here are some ballistic charts of similar bullets of the main 3 that might help you decide.








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Very cool gun indeed.....im with ya on liking the 308 over the 3030 but deep woods and thick stuff I'm carrying my 350 dollar lever gun all day.....sitting on a field edge or wood line then the 308 comes out

Absolutely....shoot away

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I started with a 30-30 as well but I can't stand them. The only positive for me is they are cheap. I would get a single shot 308 if funds were the issue, but that's just me.

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Ruger American was brought up, my biggest beef with that rifle is that it has a plastic magazine.

 

What difference does it make if a mag is polymer or not? I have polymer mags for my tikka, the ruger american and my AR. They all perform flawlessly.

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Not an issue at all.

I saw someone mention that ammo can be hard to get for the 7 mm 08. I went to Walmart, fleet farm and Dunhams today. They all had it in stock.

 

I just asked Matt if he wanted a different rifle. His answer was " why would I, mine is really effective" this from a 16 year old that usually wants the best and newest.

 

Seeing as how I own a Weatherby Vanguard 270.. I got to vote for that gun...short, light, low recoil, solid on medium sized big game...But at the end of the day, it really is a personal preference..

 

.308 and .243 are the same casing.

 

Love my BAR. I don't think I paid 6 bills for it. It was 11 years ago but I think it was $470 new.

 

But they don't yield the same impact and results. .308 is much more effective at bringing down deer fast.

Not saying a .243 can't, just requires a little more pinpoint accuracy with the really light loads of the 243.

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The 7mm-08 has the same casing as well if I'm not mistaken.

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Ive shot the .270 my dad baught for me for over 10 yrs now. I love it.

 

Yes... they're just necked down from a .308 caliber bullet.

The .308 and the 30.06 have almost identical ballistics too. The difference is not in the size of the casing but in the amount and type of powder. What is cool about the .06 is you can shoot 150 grain factory bullets at 2900+- fps up to 200 grain bullets with factory ammo at the same speed... pretty much without re-sighting. The powder is adjusted for the bullet weight. Pretty cool... round.

The 30.06 and .270 are also the same re-necked casing... as is the 25.06.

The BAR uses some of the gas to control recoil and kicks way less than many smaller calibers. Plus, you will find it is one of the most accurate rifles made.

 

I see the point you are making here, and as someone who was earlier flamed on this thread, I totally appreciate it.
Just b/c a cartridge is bigger doesn't mean it packs more of a punch; from either end. So many variables factor into felt recoil; first and foremost being stock material (at least when you are talking about deer rifle calibers.)

 

I am sorry you were "flamed". None of us knows everything about anything... except maybe for a dude who has been banned.