Okie John,
I have a nice set of Zeiss binoculars and a Leica rangefinder, so I will check those. My scopes consist of Leupold, Nightforce, Zeiss, and a few Weavers mixed in. The boots are a great which I would probably screw up.
The '06 rifle is a great suggestion, but I would have to download to use it. I had to take a break from shooting and hunting for medical reasons and now that I am back into it I am starting to realize how much pain I blocked out. I can go out today and shot my 243, 6mm, or 260 and not feel bad afterwards. I think I know my limitations and I don't want to condition myself to ignore the pain. I used to shoot much bigger stuff and I may again someday, but right now I don't want to try. You are right though about the availability of ammunition and I may get stuck having to use someone else's rifle on a trip. Thank you for your help I may end with a bigger caliber in a few years.
I didn't realize you had a medical limitation. I hope you feel better soon.
The 308 can do a lot of what the 30-06 does and ammo is almost as widely available. That doesn't matter much if you're handloading, but you can still get stuck without your ammo, and then it does matter. A Remington 700 BDL or CDL in 308 with a Leupold variable should weigh about 8.5 pounds and would give you the weight you need to eat up a lot of recoil. 150-grain (or lighter) premium or super-premium bullets and a top-flight recoil pad should make recoil pretty manageable while still giving you the punch you need for North America's larger big-game species.
Good luck, and keep us posted.
Okie John
