> I made my mind up on my new rifle, it will be a Remington Model 700 SPS Stainless with a Leupold
> VX-1 4-12x40 scope, so it will be a light rifle, another reason recoil is an issue.

The Remington Model 700 SPS Stainless is available in 223 Rem, 22-250 Rem, 308 Win, 25-06 Rem, 270 WSM, 300 WSM, 300 Rem Ultra Mag, 243 Win, 270 Win, 7mm Rem Mag, 30-06, and 300 Win Mag. The blue version is also available in 7mm-08 Remington, but not the stainless version. I recommend against anything smaller than 243 Win for the animals you wish to hunt (with factory ammo). All of the cartridges larger than the 243 Win have substantially more recoil (in full-power loadings). Reduced-recoil options are available.

The 243 Win is a very versatile cartridge, for which there is a very large selection of component bullets and loaded ammunition. In the hands of an excellent hunter and shooter, and with the correct choice of bullets, it will work well on animals from 1 to 100 kg, and to ranges of more than 300 m. Depending on bullet choice, small animals can be destroyed or pelts and meat preserved. The 243 Win has a reputation as a wounding cartridge if used by inexperienced hunters, due to the small bullet diameter. The reputation is probably undeserved, as poorly placed shots have the same (undesired) effect no matter the cartridge.

I recommend against the Leupold VX-1 scope, and suggest you spend the additional money and get the VX-III instead. The VX-1 scopes that I own are satisfactory, but the VX-III series scopes are much better. My personal choice on most of my hunting rifles is the VX-III 2.5-8x 36mm scope. In my opinion, this is the best all-around hunting scope on the market.

Take care, Tom