I hope to turn eighty in September. I was much of a man until at seventy two, I lost my heart rhythm. Two cardioversions and a pacemaker later, has changed the way I hunt. Fortunately, I already had two lighter rifles in the safe. A matched pair of Browning Safaris in 243 and 308, built on the small ring FN Mauser wearing pencil barrels. Of the two, my favorite is the 308 wearing a 4X Zeiss. If the 308 becomes a bit much, I have confidence in the 243 loaded with 95 or 100 Nosler partitions.
Part of my problem is defective heart valves. I can't get enough blood flow to get in hunting shape anymore. Chasing desert mule deer in the foot hills is no longer feasible. The Brownings are a bit lighter than the Winchester featherweight's, but that is no longer much of an issue. Texas legal, my hunting vehicle is a Kawasaki Mule, equipped for hunting. Most of my hunting now is from a box stand overlooking a feeder, food plot, water, or all three. I sometimes take the Mule to a remote place then build an improvised hide or stand. Food plots, water and game trails usually dictate where. For this purpose, I'm glad that I kept most of my standard rifles. All the magnums are long gone. Since my carry distance is short, I find an old Browning BAR Gd III to be welcome. Due to weight and the gas system, the 30-06 doesn't bruise me up. Due to a life sentence of blood thinners, a 20 ga shotgun that does not produce unpleasant recoil never the less, leaves me bruised. Not so with the BAR.
It sounds like you are not otherwise handicapped. My suggestion to you is a T3 in something between 243 and 7-08. If elk are on the agenda, go 7-08. Keep one or two of your standard guns. If you get to where walking is no fun, weight is not critical, they may become useful again.
Modern bullet construction has put lighter calibers on steroids.
Best wishes,
Jack
