What is a good caliber for target shooting?

Man I have asked a world of questions these past few days and I apologize. Im just trying to narrow my search a little. Anyway, I have decided to get into target shooting and Im 90% sure I want a Remington 700. My question is though, what caliber should I get? It definitely needs to reach 600 yards without a lot of recoil (not a lot of recoil being stock of course). Im thinking .308 but my dad had a Ruger that was a .308 and he hated it. So, for a 160 pound 15 year old, what caliber would fit my needs? Thanks