There are no flies on either the .243 or the 7-08 as far as the cartridges go. That said, if the .223 is legal to hunt deer with in Alabama, I can see no reason to get anything other than the .223 given your parameters (short-ish range, wife and kids to use it, you don't reload, etc.).
The recoil on the .223 is nonexistent. The factory ammunition selections are incredibly broad running from cheap plinking ammunition for trigger time for the wife/kids/you all the way to super premium stuff that will take any game in Alabama you choose to hunt. When you eventually get into reloading, it's an efficient cartridge that is easy to load for and the components are readily available, inexpensive, and amazingly broad in scope.
Again, there is nothing wrong with either the .243 or the 7-08, but given that neither matches the breadth and depth to which the .223 answers the questions you would be asking of that rifle, why do anything other than the .223?
Originally Posted by Mannlicher
America needs to understand that our troops are not 'disposable'. Each represents a family; Fathers, Mothers, Sons, Daughters, Cousins, Uncles, Aunts... Our Citizens are our most valuable treasure; we waste far too many.
