I have always thought that the .308 Win was one of the best cartridges -not just short action- ever designed. It has spawned many excellent cartridges; e.g., .243 Win, 7MM-08 Rem, etc.
The .308 Win is inherently accurate. It will deliver velocities that meet or exceed factory ballistics. And it will put game in freezers.
I was going to go with an '06 as my light mountain rifle. Then I did the research. Excluding 220 grain bullets, which I would not use for my hunting needs, I found out that there ain't spittin' difference between the two. Hence, I went with the inherent accuracy and short-action.
About a year ago I read an article that indicated that the .308 Win has exceeded the deservedly venerated '06 in popularity as determined by sales.
The .308 Win has been around for better than fifty years. It'll be around for more than another fifty. I ain't so sure most short action cartridges will.
The bottom line is that hunting cartridges, like self-defense cartridges, are products of subjective criteria. I just returned for an elk hunt. One of the hunters in camp was using a .300 WSM. That was the first time I had seen one. It was a neat looking cartridge. But that was all it was: a cartridge, just like any other cartridge. The hunter obviously liked it, but the elk he killed with it assuredly didn't care much for it.
If I were accorded a hunting rifle do-over, I'd buy the best rifle I could afford in .280 Rem and never look back. But that's my preference. Other others see it a lot differently.
