[jmen24]

Bigdog, first it should be mentioned that this topic will have many different opinions, some good and some obscure.

Seeing this was not apart of your thought options, I will not take up much space on the 30-30. The idea that this is to light for big game is solely based on its downrange ballistics and lack of versitilty in ranges beyond 100 yards. It is the most popular deer hunting rifle for this area as you likely do not get shots at ranges exceeding 100 yards.

Next .22 caliber rifles are not legal in any zone in NH to hunt deer, it is a rim fire caliber and is clearly banned for large game hunting in NH.

A .22 is great for plinking, but the transition to a larger caliber for large game hunting is too steep. This a great caliber to have in the quiver, when you are working on your breathing and accuracy at the range, as you are not going to get tired (sore shoulder) at the range.

I own, use and hunt with all of my rifles, but don't spend hours at a time at the range for the sole purpose of target practice, they are simply exhausting to shoot repeatedly, but it is important to stay up on the feel setup, so it is done. All of my rifles are all set up for specific purposes and ammunition, when I create a balistic record for a rifle/scope/ammo combo, I don't change it, that is my personal setup preferences. The nice thing is that you could if you wanted too. Keeping accurate records of each combo setup can allow you to use a single rifle for many tasks. An example would be using the same setup of rifle/scope settings and ammo for target and varmit, while using a heavier load for deer hunting. The balistics require an adjustment in scope settings to compensate for bullet drop in the heavier load.

I started out with an Original Winchester model 70 in .270 as my all around rifle, good to 200 yards with a common and inexpensive load. You can target shoot with a 130gr and hunt with a 150gr. Have harvested 3 deer with this rifle. 0@100yds. It is heavy on the shoulder due to synthetic stock.

Before going on an Elk hunt a few years ago, I spoiled myself and picked up a Browning A-bolt Medallion in .280 with Leopold VX-II 3-9. 0@200yds.
Have harvested a moose with this rifle. Feels lighter than the .270, that is due to the wood stock.

The .280 may seem to make the .270 obsolete, but they are very different on the balistic chart. The 150gr in the .270 at 300yds 0@200 has 12.5" of drop in the best balistic factory ammo that I found and tried. The 160gr in the .280 at 300yds 0@200 has 6.75" of drop with Federal Trophy Bonded tips ammo.

The .270 costs around $1.00 per round, while the .280 costs $2.45 per round.

Now, I have shot both the .243 and the 22-250. The 22-250 I have is a varmit specific rifle with a heavy barrel and stock, weighs in at just under 11lbs with the bi-pod. This is accurate to 500yrds and in my opinion is the best caliber for target/varmit at long range. I would not hunt deer with this rifle as it is a tank, but the caliber would be more than good enough with proper shot placement.

I my opinion the .243 is probably the best caliber for your needs. It shoots a load that is light enough to be enjoyable at the range, downrange balistics are good for varmit to the distances you mentioned and with a few setup changes can shoot a heavier load for deer hunting.

Now beyond the caliber is the actual rifle, a quality rifle is worth every dollar spent, as is the scope. Even if there were such a thing as the perfect caliber, a lower quality rifle and cheap optics would ruin the package.

Good luck with your choices and happy plinking!