Lot's of great information here, thank you. I was leaning towards the .308 based on everyone's feedback, but the point was made that I already have 3 hunting rifles. Ugh, so many options to choose from. After some thought, I guess it makes sense to pull "Deer Hunting" off the priorities. So if I focused more just on my shooting what would be a good recommendation? What's a good "centre fire" cartridge that is fun to shoot but will transition to making me a better shot for hunting?
My "Updated" Objectives:
1) Good to shoot volume (reasonably tight groups)
2) Ammo readily available and not terribly expensive (I do not hand load)
3) Will transition to being a better shot hunting
Thanks again in advance
1) 223 Remington
2) 556 Nato
If you don't handload those are the only two affordable options these days.
22lr is also a great option, but 500yds is pretty darn far for that.