My thought is any center fire rifle will kill a deer if you hit him within reason.

Wow !!! Lots of good information here …… I appreciate everyone’s reply. Lots to read over again and take it all in.
Like I said too late in the year to make a change….. but never too early to look towards next year !!

Thanks again all.

I used to use a 30-06 and it did fine, but it punches a hole straight through. It kills but often a trailing job.
I switched to a .223 with hollow points. It will often drop the deer right there. Picture those ballistic gell videos and how they react. That's totally what happens inside the deer when bullets DONT EXIT. Awesome shock & knock down power

Maybe go radically different to make a big change.

I absolutely love my old Marlin 1895 .45-70. It is a 200 yard gun with ease and can be stretched to a 300 yard gun if zeroed at a longer distance. For performance, it is amazing. Deer drop straight down if walking. If moving faster, they give a half jump. Tracking is not needed. That is if hit properly. I use the Hornady Leverevolution. Great stuff.

The older Marlins with the JM proof mark have gotten very expensive. Look around and you may find a nice one!

that is a great choice for woods hunting deer , I have never shot one with a 45-70 I have shot a few with a muzzle loader putting out very similar energy and projectile and their was no tracking, if 30-06 recoil is the issue that got this discussion started is the 45-70 a good recoil reduction over 30-06?

Pete, it’s not the caliber that is the problem…. I like the ‘06…… it’s the gun itself I want to change. The model 110 punches pretty hard and as I am getting older… I’m just tired of it. I believe this is mostly due to the lightness of the gun.

https://www.gunbroker.com/Bolt-Action-Rifles/search?Keywords=zytel%20stock&Sort=13

I got one of these in a 300 win mag. Recoil is not tame but not heavy either. The rifle is. Heavy that is. VERY accurate. Stock ruger trigger was awful. I put a timney in mine. When I ordered it I ordered it with open sights. (installed by ruger) the rear sight folds down and it wears a scope. i ordered the iron sights in case I ever broke the scope. Could just take it off. The iron sight needed no adjustment. Was dead on when i got the rifle

Getting a heavier gun in the same caliber may be trading one problem for another.

Your Getting older so packing a heavier gun bay become a nuisance for you in years to come also depending on how you hunt. I'dfnits fron 4 wheeler to box blind maybe not but if your walking probably so.

So a Change to lighter recoiling caliber in a light gun seemed like a smart move. Especially for deer at around 100 yards. My young boys have been piling them up with a 243 and 7mm08 since they were 7 with them.

243 with sp ammo puts quarter size holes through them and the 7mm08 half dollar generally. Bot are great for deer many times past what you are shooting. I'm sitting with the 243 now because my 10 year old is home with a 102 fever.
Ammo seems more available for 308 but I don't hav one of those so can't speak to its recoil but my cousin loved his with 150gr ammo for deer.

Edit to add all our rifles wear a suppressor, or can wear one so are equipped with a thread over muzzle break. So they have even less recoil from allready low recoiling calibers. With the suppressor they are a dream . Without and just the break well they are very loud. You don't want to be standing to the side of them or in a stand on the other side of the tree with a deer in front if you so you are directly beside the ports when your son shoot a deer.

243win in gun of your flavor is what you're looking for as far as a Deer caliber with little recoil.

It's a TWO ...Three part issue

1.Gun/Rifle Weight up^^^ might or might not help you reduce recoil
I wouldn't buy a different 06' unless you shot it to see.

2.You Say " it's Not the caliber " that's the problem or possible fix. You might be right BUT: Rifles Are Individuals.
Shoot an 06' in Bolt, Pump, and Semi Auto. You'll feel different recoil
But Rifle build and configuration Along with / lower bullet grain/powder load etc can change that some too.
.....continuing on still wanting your 30'06 cal. Front porting of the barrel WIll reduce recoil but make your Rifle louder. Butt pad choice matters too.

3. You are absolutely wrong if you keep saying the Caliber isn't the issue. Because it IS THE BIGGEST factor in recoil if you don't add a Boss/ porting type modification.

Changing away from the .30 class of calibers matters

Shoot a

.243 100gr bullet
.6mm 100gr.
.270 130gr.

Then Any 30'06 and you will notice and most likely appreciate much lower recoil.

So unless you read #2 above and do something different than you're doing now besides just believing the overall weight is the fix. You will get the same KICK

what does your current rifle weigh?

recoil is that function of equal and opposite reaction

felt recoil is a combination of fit and equal and opposite reaction.

if your current rifle is 8.2 pounds I use this because it is what my rifle weights and I know all the other numbers
here is a calculator https://shooterscalculator.com/recoil-calculator.php
there are components to go into each side of the recoil equation

weight of bullet , velocity of bullet and this calculator attempts burn rate based on grains of powder
the other side of the equation is
weight of the gun
the answer comes in recoil energy , duration and recoil velocity some powders are more of a push and others more of a hit.

8.2 pound rifle
180gr bullet
2600fps
42.5 gr powder

impulse 3.2 pounds/second
velocity 11.86 fps
energy 17.91 fpe

if I increase the weight of the rifle to 10.2 pounds
velocity changes to 9.53fps
energy changes to 14.4fpe

adding 2 pounds reduces recoil 20% makes sense you increased the weight by 20%

those are using a 308 load

if we bump up to a 30-06 load
8.2 pound rifle
180gr bullet
2800fps
55gr

impulse 3.46 pounds/second
Velocity 13.57fps
energy 23.47fpe

a 12.7% increase in rifle velocity
23.7% increase in recoil energy
to get a bullet going 200fps faster just 7.2% faster in bullet velocity.
this is that diminishing returns I talked about in a previous post

this is why if your going to get a new rifle a new caliber also makes sense and why your getting so many recommendations for short action calibers.
unless maybe you have a lifetime supply of 30-06 stocked up.

reloading could change this also but it didn't sound like you reloaded

a reduced recoil load in 30-06
125gr
2700fps

2.43 pounds/seconds
9.54fps
11.59fpe
that is a 50.7% reduction in recoil energy


so while adding weight would make a difference changing the load can make a bigger difference and keep it easy to carry.

the reason so many have said 243

is right here
8.2 pound rifle easy enough to carry all day
100gr bullet
2900fps

2.13 pounds/seconds
8.36 fps
8.91 fpe

243 100gr @ 2900 vs 180gr 30-06 at 2800fps

62% reduction in recoil energy and 39% decrease in recoil velocity

this is why they have their grandkids shooting deer with a 243 at age 10

This

Accuracy is what is needed. Only use a gun you can shoot accurately

I have a mid 80s era model 700 with wood stock in 30.06 that has always been a really trueshooter. Ten years ago or so I had a contour matching slimline muzzle break added blued to match. The rifle is now an absolute joy to shoot and if it’s possible even more accurate. I believe the recoil is noticeably softer than any of my .243s.
Food for thought maybe ?

Osky

muzzle brakes have been recommended , he checked with his gun smith who said the 30-06 rifle savage was not worth adding a brake, probably meaning never get your money out of it

very few new 30-06 rifles come with threaded barrels so it is an after work thing and it costs as much as having his current rifle done to do it to a new rifle

If he has a significant stash of 30-06 that would be exactly the thing to do , a break makes it soo pleasant to shoot around 50% recoil reduction if you have the extra gas to power it which a 30-06 definitely does

if he still buys ammo from the shelf and not a large stock of 06 at home then any of the short action rifles offered with a threaded muzzle that fit him would serve him well. take the recoil reduction and double up with a break.

Osky are you still looking at the target through the scope when the round impacts. I don't have a brake on a 30-06 but I have a couple 308 with them and it is nice to see the deer drop in the scope rather than try and find it post recoil