caliber question with a twist

[Trickyasafox]

im getting a deer barrel for my encore. my heart is set on a 15in, but the caliber i havent been able to decide on.

most likely the gun will get a bushnell 2-6 on it, so ultra long range hunting isnt a concern. 200 yards from a rest would be the ABSOLUTE outside chance one in a million limit. so i'd also like the barrel to be able to be shot at the range a lot. so price is an issue with ammo, and though i will eventually reload, i do not yet.

heres my top three in no order
7-08
308
7.62x39 - very interesting

i knwo the 7-08 might win the accuracy battle, but im honestly not needing accuracy much better then 2-2.5 inches at 150yards.

what barrel do you guys think is the most bang for the buck? has anyone shot the 7.62x39 barrel?  hows the recoil for the 3 compare? i'd prefer the more mild of the 3 if thats possible

any info is appreciated

[palgeno]

Handloads are the way to go for the best accuracy in T/C barrels because you can seat the bullets out near the lands instead of loading to standard length to fit in a magazine. I chose the .308 over the 7-08 because I have a couple of super accurate .308 rifles to load for. I first zeroed my scope with factory ammo and found 1 to 2 inches to be the norm. Hand loads, however get me to 1/2 inch at 100yds from a good bag on a bench.That is as good as my custom heavy barrel single shot Mauser rifle. I doubt that accuracy will differ much among the three calibers you mentioned if you handload. With factory fodder, you will probablyhave to spend some time and money to find a really great load----but the .308 was pretty forgiving with the 150 and 165 gr factory ammo I tried. :grin: pg