Ok if I am being honest with myself I probably don't need another rifle at all, my .30-06 probably covers any hoofed mammals I am likely to pursue in Canada and the bears don't really excite me or cause me to loose sleep. I have been craving a medium bore recently and have narrowed it down to .358 winchester, .338 Win mag, .35 Whelan or 9.3x62, the .444 marlin has been calling to me too, so what are your preferences and the reasons why?
I look forward to hearing from my fellow members stories, suggestions and you don't have to stick to my list let me know what your favorite medium bore is and why.
For arguments sake lets say between .32 cal and .40 cal is medium bore and we'll toss in the lever action big bores as qualifying as mediums.
My favourite medium bore is the 35 Whelen, it has never let me down on animals from a blacktailed deer all the way up to moose. It is fairly easy to get factory ammo for it, doesn't kick bad and is a hammer on game. I have never owned a 9.3x62 but find it very interesting as well. Right now I also have a 358 Norma Mag but it kicks a lot more than the Whelen for about 150-200 fps more in speed, I like it but it has no chance of replacing the Whelen which is here to stay. I had a 375 Ruger but it went down the road since it basically did the same things as my Whelen but kicked a lot harder.
Your 30-06 can pretty much do anything you would need but it is nice to have other options available.
Of your list this is the order I would put them in when all things are considered.
35 Whelen
9.3x62
358 Win
444 Marlin
338 Win Mag
