Thanks for all the inputs, I'll try to address key ones
I've read too many stories this past season about deer that were lost after being hit with 300BO to consider it a good deer cartridge. Save it for the range.
I consider a good deer cartridge to have 6-7mm bore, 2500-2800 fps, 100-140gr bonded or monolithic bullet. Slower reduces your range, heavier and faster can damage too much meat. Anything in that range can use a 30 cal suppressor if the barrel is threaded.
I use the 6.8spc in a 6lb AR15 with Nosler Accubond, but from your choices I'd go with a lightweight 308, and a Vortex Viper HSLR 2.5-10 for the scope, and handload a moderate load with fast for caliber powder for it, like 150gr Accubonds on H322.
Agreed, though most of those 300BLK failures were idiots shooting subsonic at deer. The supersonic is pretty damn close to your spec (100-125gr @ 2200-2500fps). The 6.8SPC more so, and I had forgotten about it! (But reminds me that a friend uses a 6.5 grendel AR for deer)
Currently my 308 deer ammo is a 150gr nosler ballistic tip (good choice for the littler deer here, need fast energy dump)
If you just want something cheap that shoots really well, take a look at the savage and ruger bydget package rifles- both should be available in 7mm-08. A step up would be a savage 11/110, where you can easily switch chamberings later on.
Hmm...good call on the savage. Call it the baby brother of my 110BA :)
Prefer 308 vs 7-08 due to ammo compatibility (I have all the reloading equip for 308 already)
Not to suppress G.A.S, but it sounds like you already have a nice deer rifle. Consider keeping things simple and using the gun you have.
If it's really too heavy, and you are inside 100 yards, a lever action is classic, but my uncle got one of those compact "mountain rifle" bolt actions in .357 mag, and I have to say I liked it better than a lever action..it was just as small, but more scopable and actually handier with the full stock and no lever.
Hence the question :). For shooting from my blinds, current is fine, but from my stands...ugh, PITA.
50-100 yard shots and a 4x-10x (or wider) 'scope . . . hmmmm
I presume you already have an AR lower, so #1 seems to fit your criteria pretty well. You can certainly use full power (supersonic) loads, but since you have interest in using a can, I wonder what sort of terminal performance on deer you'd get with the 220-240 grain .308 bullets the original .300 Whisper was built around . . .
I'm an old man...vision sucks, and I like the higher power for the longer shots just to be sure.
Using a can doesn't preclude supersonic. I shoot both 308 and 338 lapua supersonic with a can, and both are quieter than you might think. Bullet crack is more down-range than by the shooter so it's more than just noise spec. With the exception of the lever gun option, -all- of the above would likely be shot suppressed.
Inside of a 100 yds I'm really liking my .300BLK AR. I bought one of Primary Arm's BDC 300BLK 1-6X scopes and it works really well. I only played with it for about 1000rds before I had to leave home for a while, but it's a lot of fun, controllable, decently hard hitting with pretty easy to find factory ammo.
You live on the east coast right? Deer there are small, I would go with that.
If that doesn't go do it for you, .308 is kinda a classic deer round with ammo good ammo everywhere. Your FAL would be fine, or an AR-10(ish) depending on how much you want a new gun. I'm collecting parts for my .38 AR, so it's not shooting yet, but they are pretty dang popular.
I know you like suppressors though, so really if you don't already have one, a .300BLK is pretty versatile.
I already have a few cans...including my big 338 can I used on the 700...but I'd like to add a 30 cal can to the mix, which would cover any of the 0.30 or less options here.
Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle in .308Win
http://ruger.com/products/gunsiteScoutRifle/models.html
You can ignore the scout mount and install a scope in the usual place, muzzle already threaded, mauser-ish action.
Ruger Hawkeye Compact in .308Win
http://ruger.com/products/HawkeyeLaminateCompact/models.html
Even lighter than the Ruger scout rifle. Laminate in .308Win at 6lbs, Walnut at 5.7lbs.
If you really are thinking of 100 yard max, the usual lever-guns and cartridges from .45-70 on down to .30-30 will do the trick. Or you can get a .44mag or .454 Casull in a Win92 clone. Short range means to me I can get serious bullet weight and diameter with moderate recoil.
Completely forgot about the scout rifles and the compact...that hawkeye 308 looks nice, and gives the option out to 200 unlike the big lever guns.
Thanks for all the info guys...ill let you all know what I decide :)