I have a soft spot in my heart for the .30-06, as that was my dad's deer rifle, and one of the first guns I learned to shoot back when I was just a wee lad. That's a lot of kick for a scrawny 12 year old <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />

That said, if you aren't looking to kill a buck, the low cost of ammo for the .22 will get you a lot further. We plinked a lot of soda cans with a .22 rifle or revolver, but when we were sighting in the .30-06, my dad always pointed out how many dollars it was costing him every time we squeezed the trigger.