Caliber suggestions?

Have been bow only hunter for a while in GA and would like to get a rifle for longer shots in TX. I never hunted with a rifle and I also have some back issues so large calibers are a no go to prevent anymore complications. Are there any recommendations on calibers and/or gun models to look into or to stay away from?

Thanks in advance.

Where are you hunting.

Any idea of what you're wanting to hunt and at what distances?

If pain is an issue, stay away from anything with "magnum" in the name.

A lot of it would depend on what you were hunting? What kind of realistic distance do you wanna take'em at? For deer and pigs at 300 and less, just take your pick from any of the conventional calibers out there between .243 and 30-06. It's rare to have to shoot over 200yds here unless you just wanna, mostly 100yds and under is the norm.

It sounds like you want a .25-06.

243 with good bullets

I do a lot of hog hunting and I shoot a 6.8SPC. Very little recoil and much better knock down power than the 5.56.

Look at a .243. Fast and accurate cartridge with more than enough knockdown power. I shoot a 95 grain Hornady SST. And a .270 recoil in 130 grain Fusion bullets are great as well.

great caliber, shoots flat, very little recoil. I've dropped many hogs with one

X2

My suggestion would be 6.5x55.

I'll be hunting deer and hogs. I'm not sure what the distances will be but close to 200-300 yards should be far enough. I haven't found anywhere to hunt yet so I'm just guessing on distance. It would be nice to be able to go further out but that also means going up in caliber.

7mm-08 or 6.5 creedmoor.

6.5x55 or 7x57 would be ideal in my book... 7mm-08 wouldn't be bad either.

Not much of a fan of the 25-06, 257 Roberts is where I would go. All of those would give you plenty out to 400-500 yards.

Don't know how long the shots are and I know I will probably get some flack for this, but a lever action 30-30 with the new Hornady ammo is good out to 200 yards. The recoil is very manageable, but if you are looking for 300+ I would say .270 with a wood stock.

Since I want the distance I'm leaning towards the 7mm-08 or the .243. Are there any recommendations on a rifle? I've been looking at the Savage Axis for a while but a Weatherby caught my eye as well. Are there any good manufactors that I'm forgetting? Remington 700 would be in the running but I can't seem to trust the trigger safety.

Vanguard S2.

tikka t3 or tc venture or ICON are good choices also.

Reached in my pocket and found 2 cents to throw into the mix here....
I'm a big fan of the .260 Rem. I carried a .280 for years and it's still by trusted go-to if I am hunting where I could possibly have a chance at a longer shot - say over 200 yrds. But for normal Texas Whitetail hunting in the 75 to 150 yard range, the .260 is awesome (and I'm sure is capable out further) as it shoots as flat as the .270 / .280s and gives up very little energy to those bigger harder kicking rounds. Mine is a Ruger 77 Compact that handles very "quick" in and out of vehicles and blinds etc... Kind of like carrying a carbine. Sweet little gun.

Don't overlook the TC Encores for a platform either. With no action you can save a little weight, and a decent amount of length too.

Tikka T3 in 7mm-08 with a Zeiss 6.5x20x50mm scope.
I have this set up and it is all that. I run hanloaded 140gr. through it and have never missed or have anything walk away from it. Good Luck

25-06 is the answer! 120 gr bullets and it do what ever you want but to do!!

Good luck in buying ammo for
all those odd calipers. Stick with
Tried and true like .243, 25-06
Or even that ole worn out .270.
There are no magic bullets out
There; where the average kill
Shot is 40 to 50 yards. Just magic
Costs.

Lots of good options here. .243 and 7mm-08 are both good short action choices with decent available ammo options. I shoot and reload for both. Though both are quite reasonable, but there is a noticeable difference in recoil between the two. If you're really sensitive to recoil and have back issues you can get lighter with the rifle and still keep recoil down with the .243. You can always add a compensator for even less recoil, albeit more perceived noise.

I love my Savage model 11 in 260 Remington. It puts 3 shots in one rugged hole from 100yds. It's an awesome caliber and the Nords use it's cousin (6.5x55) to drop moose. Don't let anyone fool you on it's ability to drop Texas deer and pigs. My rifle craves the 120gr Federal ballistic tips.

Cheers

There are no perfect answers to your question, but for all around hunting in Texas a bolt action rifle in 7-08 or .270 would be an excellent choice.

big fan of 243 win all I have used for TX white tail but would love to try 7-08

I have narrowed my choices down between the .243 and the 7mm-08. More than likely the .243 for ammo availability and my wife can learn on it too. That make it easier to allow me to buy another gun.

borrow a 700 or 77 .243 to see how it 'feels'

if you can't manage that, then go with a CZ 527 in .204.

many say .204 is not humane but if that is true, then neither is a bow - should not need to shoot past 150 yards in Texas - most shots are 70 to 80 yards

shot placement from 204 is excellent - as long as you can track it

TIKKA T3 7mm-08 with a Zeiss on top.