These threads about..."if you could only have one" are about the silliest exercises I know of.
I WORK for a living so I don't have to make those kind of choices. In my earliest days as a hunter, when I began to buy my own firearms, as opposed to using "family" guns.....I didn't have just "one" rifle. I "owned" just a single rifle for a short time, but had access to a number of guns used by family members.
This situation only lasted about 6 weeks before I could save enough money from a part-time sawmill job and begin adding to my small collection of firearms. I was only 13 years old at the time.....so I can see no reason whatsoever for a grown man to restrict himself to one rifle (unless it is by personal choice....not a lack of funds).
Deer hunting covers so much ground and conditions are so diverse that it is virtually impossible to cover all situations with a single rifle. True, you CAN make a single rifle do many jobs, but it will NOT be "perfect" for all of them.
There is a world of difference between hunting in thickets where a 50 yard shot is a long one and sitting in a blind overlooking hundreds of acres and shots may be 500 yards or more. I prefer to choose a weapon that fits the needs and conditions for each type of hunting.....not try to force a single rifle to be all things.
If I had to limit myself to a handful of rifles (and I see no reason to do so) I would likely start with a versatile chambering that could perform at close range as well as reach out for longer shots. This rifle would be light enough to carry all day when walking the hills and fast handling for those surprise in-your-face encounters. Any chambering from .6.5mm to .30-06 (I don't prefer small bore guns for close range and thick brush) would work well in the right rifle. The "right" rifle is the key.
For a rifle to be fast handling as well as have the ability to reach out to longer ranges, there are few that are better than the .308 Win. This is not because the .308 is any "better" than other chamberings, but because it is short enough to be chambered in every type rifle you can imagine. This can't be said of the longer rounds. I would start with the Savage 99 or Ruger Mannlicher carbine chambered in the .308. They are short, light and effective over a wide range of conditions.
True close range work requires a totally different rifle. I prefer a big bore rifle that hits hard and leaves a tremendous blood trail....a big hole in and a big hole out. Long range shooting is unimportant as shots will be under 100 yards, but a fast handling rifle can be critical. Your "versatile" rifle COULD fill this need (and the .308 is certainly no slouch in thick brush), but for me there are better choices.
For thick brush where a longer shot is impossible (more on this in a bit) I have several rifles that fit the bill. The hardest hitting rifle at close range I own is a Marlin 1895 in .45-70. It's performance on game leaves nothing to be desired, but it is just a bit heavy. If lever guns are your choice a Marlin 336 in .35 Remington is pretty close to perfect for this shooting. It is fast handling and hits with authority. Even better, to me, is the Remington Model 14 (also in .35 Remington) that is just a touch faster.
Good as these rifles are, my first choice for close range is a Ruger 44 Carbine. It is light, short, fast and hits as hard as any gun I have ever used at close range. I know ballistics say the .44 magnum is not as "powerful" as some other rounds, but in the real world, I have never found anything to be as effective at ranges of 50-75 yards.
It's that limited range that is the downfall of all "true" brush chamberings. They are devastating at close range, but almost useless at ranges over 150-200 yards. In years past there were many places where you could cover thousands of acres and never have the possibility of a shot over 100 yards. As land practices changed, this became less and less true. With modern timber harvest practices a hunter is more likely than not to encounter a situation where a clear-cut or firebreak opens up even the thickest brush areas and presents a shot longer than the true brush gun is suited for.
This is not true long-range shooting, but a situation requiring a 250-300 yard shot is not out of the question. If I "know" I will be hunting in these areas where the ranges tend to be a bit longer....but there is the possibility of a short range encounter.....my "versatile" rifle in .308 serves me well. However for those time when I am deliberately hunting thick brush...with the "possibility" of a longer shot....I have found something even better. A Savage 99 in .358 Win. This chambering hits as hard as most true brush guns and can easily reach out to 300 yards or so.....and the Savage is fast handling as any I've used.
My final "must have" rifle is a true long range gun. By long range I DO NOT mean 1000 yards. For me, long range is more like 400 or so. This would include pronghorn as well as open range der hunting. The weight of the rifle is less important as most hunting will be done from a stand or stationary position. Fast handling is not so critical, but accuracy is very important. This typically means a bolt-action rifle with a bit more weight than my "versatile" rifle. I can see no reason for a short-action chambering in a bolt action rifle for this use. Nothing "wrong" with rounds like the .260, 7mm-08 or .308 if you like them, but I prefer to let the rifle "be all it can be" and choose a longer chambering for the little extra velocity. My choice is the .30-06, but could have just as easily gone with the .270, .280, or 7mm Mag. and never suffered. I don't personally like the small bores as well, but in this type of open country hunting the .25-06 fits the bill as well (even the shorter .243 or .257 would likely do just as well).
These four. a .308 in Savage 99 or Ruger carbine for walk-about, versatile hunting, a Ruger 44 carbine for true close range work, a savage 99 in .358 for "in between" ranges and a long range .30-06 cover my needs quite well. I own many more rifles than these because....I work for a living so I can......and I refuse to even consider a single rifle for all hunting....because I don't have to.
