Living in Alaska makes caliber selection easy. Get some thing from a .270 Winny up to a .338 Winny as your "all around critter gitter" and shoot a good bullet into the right place and eat up. With the great bullets we now have I guess a .308 or 7mm-08 would also work and many Alaskans have gone that route.
My dear old Dad was the only Alaskan I am aware of that thought a 6.5 bullet was and "all around" good choice. His choice of caliber was the .264 Winny in his old Mod. 70 with the slender 26" barrel, a case full of surplus H4831 and a 140 grain Nosler Partition. His friend Ken had been in Alaska since the 50's and he favored the Mod. 99 Savage in .300 Savage. For the most part, If one had and old Mod. 70 in 30-06 stoked with 180 grain Partitions or a .270 Winny with 150 grain Partitions one was well armed and knew they had a good "all around critter gitter", many used a reworked 03-A3 in ought six and several had them altered to the .308 Norma.
I started out with and old 03A3 ought six Springfield and it worked great. But, knowing what I know now, if I lived in the "states", most of my hunting would done with a .270 Winny or a 6.5 Creed. Deer and antelope don't look big to me and I have never shot over 500 yards. That would also give me a reason to hope Tikka would make their T3X Superlite stainless gun in 6.5 PRC. If elk were on the menu for me I would want the heaviest Barnes LRX bullet for either caliber with H4350 and not worry about looking for faster velocity.
Either bullet from either caliber would work and no critter would complain about your choice, but the paper ballistics favor the .270 for most hunting shots out to 500 yards. I have an urge to have some flavor of a 6.5-06 made up on the small ring Mauser Husky ought six I have, but don't see it being my main "critter gitter" or range gun, as the Tikka Creed I got a few months ago works for that. But, like I said, if Tikka ever comes out with a 6.5 PRC Superlite, sign me up if I ever hunt state side.
Back to the 6.5-06 of some flavor and the .270 Winny. With equal bullet structure, shot placement and max velocities either cartridge is capable of. Nothing any one ever shoots will be able to tell the difference between the two. Only the Rifle Loonies will be able to tell a difference, because they are internet "Rifle Loonies" only they know which choice is the right choice! I am ok with that.
Did I ever tell any of ya the influence Elmer had on me when was a young boy in Iowa and at age 13 and had only seen 7 deer and never hunted them? Did I ever tell ya bout coming to Alaska in 1965 and all the critters that were available prior to the wretched pipe line and Native land claims? I could puke.
