Remington 700 .308

308 is probably the easiest ammo of all to buy.
Just make sure he’s getting hunting ammo.
Something like Remington core lokt, hornady American whitetail, federal blue box (powershok) should do fine.

As far as the rifle itself, the old Remington 700’s were pretty good rifles. They got shitty somewhere in the 2000’s. I don’t know exactly what year. Hopefully the new production rifles are as good as the old ones again, but I have no experience with these new ones.

Probably the best southeast deer caliber

As to the gun, I have not seen any reviews on the new ones.
The 700s they made for the last 15+ years were not great.

You can look at Browning AB# topped with a leupold for 900$ thats a pretty jam up 1st gun.

You’re on the right track and a good dad.

I bought an .308 SPS tactical with a 16” bbl in 2014 and it’s one of my favorite guns, although, I did replace the trigger and stock on it. There are alternatives as others have mentioned, but I wouldn’t regret that purchase based on my experience.

I have a .308 Rem 700 AAC SD that is a tack driver. Might want to consider this model since it has a threaded barrel if you want to put a can on it down the road. Shoots 3/4" groups all day, which is pretty good for an off the shelf gun in my opinion.

I did drop in a Timney trigger and Bell & Carlson stock, which is very easy to do.

Wouldn't hesitate for a first gun.

Tikka t3 308 for a couple od hundred more. 1” groups out the box. That tactical bull barrel will be heavier.

Go with a Ruger American Standard 308. They run about $460.

LINK

Good gun. Good caliber. But don't get that heavy barrel on a hunting gun. You'll regret it.

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Get the son to handle multiple rifles and see what feels good in his hands.

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1+.
-If you've got heart set on the Remington that's one thing, but if not, there are a lot of fine guns to consider in that price range. Some that come to mind include bolt actions made by Ruger, Savage, Mossberg, Howa, Weatherby (Vanguard) and possibly Browning.
-308 Win is a fine choice for a starter deer rifle, especially for the non-handloader. If your son's sensitive to recoil, look for reduced recoil ammo. When my son started deer hunting at 10 y/o, I bought him a Savage bolt action in 308 Win. If you come across a great deal, the 7-08 would be my #2 choice. OTOH, the 7-08 has some ammo availability disadvantages.
-I've never had a deer hunting rifle w/ a bull barrel. For typical deer hunting, it has no advantages but does add weight.

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