Picking out my first rifle

[Buzz2401]

270 and a 30-06 are pretty much identical.  My vote is for the 308, less recoil and plenty of power to kill anything in washington.  My wife has gotten many elk and dear with her youth model 308.  But she did just buy a Sako Finnlight in 300wsm so hey go big or go home.

[2labs]

There is a.270 on this site that is the deal of the century. Not gunna tell ya gotta find it. Before I can't look at it anymore .

[bobcat]

270 and a 30-06 are pretty much identical. 

  Typically most shoot heavier bullets out of the 06 than they do in the .270. But for fun look at the BC's and SD's in say a 130 grain in both calibers. The .270 will be head and shoulders better. The calibers are not even remotely close to being identical.

On paper there may be a difference, but in the real world it's definitely not significant. The case is identical, they hold the same amount of powder, the only difference is about 2 hundredths of an inch in bullet diameter. I'd have to agree that they are nearly identical in performance.

[bobcat]

270 and a 30-06 are pretty much identical. 

  Typically most shoot heavier bullets out of the 06 than they do in the .270. But for fun look at the BC's and SD's in say a 130 grain in both calibers. The .270 will be head and shoulders better. The calibers are not even remotely close to being identical.

On paper there may be a difference, but in the real world it's definitely not significant. The case is identical, they hold the same amount of powder, the only difference is about 2 hundredths of an inch in bullet diameter. I'd have to agree that they are nearly identical in performance.

This kind of thinking makes no sense to me. On paper there is a difference and as far as BC and SD goes a significant difference. These differences do make a difference in the real world and it can be proven on paper, making this a factual statement. Saying otherwise is just an opinion and a baseless one at that.

Both are fine calibers. If one wants to shoot lighter bullets I think the .270 is the way to go, if one wants to shoot heavier bullets the 06 would be a better choice.

The only real difference I see is slightly less recoil with the 270, since you can use 130 grain bullets versus 150 grain in the 30-06. Velocities are similar, trajectory is similar, ability to kill is similar. I don't know of anything that one could do that the other couldn't do. 

[Taco280AI]

I'd go 270 or 7-08 but bullets are more important than cartridge/caliber

[Curly]

With the bullets available today, smaller caliber cartridges have become more viable for being able to cleanly take big game. I would certainly stay with 7mm size and below in a rifle for a lady.

I would pick a 270 over a 30-06 and a 7 -08 over a 3-08. Most ladies are going to want a lightweight rifle. Light rifles will have more felt recoil than heavier rifles so you are going to want to match that light rifle with a lower recoiling round.

 25-06 and 260 would be great choices too but they are hard to find in a lot of manufacturer's offerings.

[magnumb]

With the bullets available today, smaller caliber cartridges have become more viable for being able to cleanly take big game. I would certainly stay with 7mm size and below in a rifle for a lady.

I would pick a 270 over a 30-06 and a 7 -08 over a 3-08. Most ladies are going to want a lightweight rifle. Light rifles will have more felt recoil than heavier rifles so you are going to want to match that light rifle with a lower recoiling round.

25-06 and 260 would be great choices too but they are hard to find in a lot of manufacturer's offerings.

 ......... and when you do your due diligence, find the brand that she shoulders most comfortably and then purchase either, a lady or anyone's experience, for that matter, can be much more 'pleasant' rather than going bigger simply because............well, I'm not sure why...... .

I've never killed a game animal, any game animal, and later wished that I'd done it with a more powerful cartridge.

[kukusya]

+1 for RAR. I have predator model in 308 with 18" pipe. Shoots we'll have only one problem with trigger shipped to Ruger. They change triger group and it take 10 day from day I shipped to received  back.

[stevemiller]

With the bullets available today, smaller caliber cartridges have become more viable for being able to cleanly take big game. I would certainly stay with 7mm size and below in a rifle for a lady.

I would pick a 270 over a 30-06 and a 7 -08 over a 3-08. Most ladies are going to want a lightweight rifle. Light rifles will have more felt recoil than heavier rifles so you are going to want to match that light rifle with a lower recoiling round.

25-06 and 260 would be great choices too but they are hard to find in a lot of manufacturer's offerings.

 ......... and when you do your due diligence, find the brand that she shoulders most comfortably and then purchase either, a lady or anyone's experience, for that matter, can be much more 'pleasant' rather than going bigger simply because............well, I'm not sure why...... .

I've never killed a game animal, any game animal, and later wished that I'd done it with a more powerful cartridge.

+1 

[gunnarnewt]

I think that 7mm-08 is the way to go. Virtually no recoil, and still packs enough punch to kill an elk. My daughter has been shooting one for several years now, and even tho she has several rifles, it's her go-to gun. 

[wooltie]

for me the "what round to use" boils down to

1.  what animals do I want to take with it?
2.  how far away do I want to be able to take em?
3.  what can I shoot consistently, comfortably, and accurately [i.e. how much recoil do I want to deal with]?

my takeaway from that chuckhawks article was that most popular cartridges [308, 270, 30-06, 7mm08) when used on deer, bear, and elk out to 300 yards can produce a kill shot--provided good shot placement and of course a good bullet weight/construction.  So pick what you shoot well, and enjoy.  the oscar went to the 308 for versatility i.e. killing power / recoil.

take the drop at 300 yards for example:
270-- 7.6"
30-06-- 8.5"
308-- 9.4"

Each round is 1" from the other.  On paper the .270 is "flatter", but that 1" trajectory advantage matters little on on a 12" kill zone.  Dealing with more recoil may affect the shot, however.

I don't see an advantage until stepping up to 7mm mags or the 300 win mag from a killing-big-animal-from-a-distance perspective.

NOTE: I have little real-world experience with killing elk and bear.  My first deer was shot at 39 yards with a 30-06, 165 g partition.  Bullet blew through his lungs, leaving a 1" exit hole.

[tgomez]

I recommend a .308 for her. Pretty light recoil and hard to beat the down range accuracy. It also has plenty of stopping power, just ask a US Sniper! Get a Savage or a Remington 700 and she will be a happy camper!!!

[Rob Allen]

I bought the  American in 06.  It  was my  first rifle as well.  given my lack of  experience as a backdrop  I  do not think it kicks too hard  but my  wife  doesn't like it at all.

[Wingin it]

Take a good look at the 7mm-08. My wife and sister both shoot them and love them. Recoil is very manageable and they are plenty suitable for deer and elk size game. My sister's is a rem model 7 and it is sweet! I bought a weatherby youth model for my wife and it is also a great shooter. Put a nice 2-7 power Leopold on there and you have a solid setup even you will like to shoot.

[Magnum_Willys]

.243 - 7MM-08 - .308 are all the same .308 cartridge just necked down to different diameter bullets.  .243 is all you need for deer - its a killing machine.  If you are backing her up for elk then she doesn't need any bigger.  Without a backup then .308 is an elk getter.  Can't decide - pick the one in the middle - 7mm-08 ! 

Don't get a short magnum - son's .325wsm kicks harder than my .338