Im looking for a second hunting rifle

[bobcat]

Not that there's anything WRONG with a cartridge because it's called a magnum. All I hunted with for about 14 years was a 264 Win. Mag. in a Remington 700. I just finally got tired of flinching and realized I could get a 270 and it would do everything I was doing with the 264 just as well but with less recoil and less muzzle blast.

[Elk-aholic]

I would buy a 7mm Remington Mag, It's just about the most versatile production cartrage around, good for Deer, Elk, Moose, Bear or whatever you want and the ammo is easy to find at any wallmart or remote store way up in the sticks in Alaska. It's the most popular magnum cartridge to date for good reason, it's bullet selection is terrific and the ballistic coefficient of the .284 bullet is hard to beat along with super flat shooting trajectories make it an ideal choice for long range hunting with lots of knock down power well past 500 yards. I would choose the 7mm Rem Mag over the 270 all day long.

[Karl Blanchard]

i can't believe knowbody has thrown this one out 25-06. greatest deer cartridge made in my opinion.  Light recoil very flat and good knockdown power.

[KimberRich]

i can't believe knowbody has thrown this one out 25-06. greatest deer cartridge made in my opinion.  Light recoil very flat and good knockdown power.

Or the .257 Roberts. 

I'm a fan of the .25 caliber range. 

[jeff100]

You want a lighter rifle and larger caliber.  Short action or long?  In short action, I'd recommend a .308 Winchester in whatever rifle you prefer (I'm a big fan of Ruger).  If you prefer a long action, then you can't go wrong with the .30-06.  At the end of the day, I think you'd be better served with the .308.  That maintains some consistency between your rifles....