Mmm, so I see a lot of people replied to his thread and most of you approve of the M1A. Might just be me, but I love the M1A but I definitely wouldn't want to be carrying that hog through the woods all day. As far as caliber, .308 is a good round IMO for whatever you'll need but I think his main question is whether the M1A is a good choice or not. It's a great rifle, don't get me wrong... but is it just me or wouldn't it be wiser to recommend him towards a bolt action?? For the money spent on the base rifle of an M1A you could get a hell of a nice bolt and then still have money left over for a scope.