I have rifles in all these calibers but 6.5 Creedmoor. Actually the 7MM-08 is my son's but I have shot it a lot. I've really tried to fall in love with the .308 without success. My go-to deer rifle remains a .270 Winchester. To me, it is about the package, not the caliber necessarily. My particular .270 started out life as a Remington Sportsman 78, which was their bargain line. I bought it at a pawn shop when I was a poor starving college student. I've had the action smoothed, trigger adjusted to 4 lb. and added a nice walnut stock. It prints sub-MOA groups with cheap bullets, is light enough to carry easy, and kills deer like lightning at extended ranges. It fell out of a scabbard once, and a buddy accidentally drove over the buttstock once so it isn't a safe queen.

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I'm sure an identical .280 or .30-06 would be just as useful, although they have marginally more recoil and aren't quite as flat. There is a reason that the .270 is such a popular hunting round. If I was looking for a target rifle, the 6..5 would be a strong contender.