I've come to the conclusion that with proper bullets everything 26 caliber on up will kill anything in North America. And most everything on the planet. It comes down to how far you want to shoot (or have the skills to shoot), how much recoil you want to deal with, as well as cost and availability.
With all of that in mind 308 or 7-08 are hard to beat. Either of them will kill elk at 400+ yards and that is as far as I have the skills to shoot at game. Recoil is tolerable and both have reputations for accuracy. On paper at least the 7-08 looks a little better, but the margin is razor thin and factory loads are much more common for 308 where I live too. 7-08 is near impossible to find.
Nothing wrong with the 270/30-06 class of cartridges and if a little extra recoil and a heavier rifle isn't a problem they stretch the useful range 50-100 yards farther than 308/7-08.
I've owned several 30 caliber and 7mm magnum rifles over the years. For someone with the skills to shoot well beyond 500 yards they are good tools for the job. But at the 400 yard limit I've put on myself I don't see where either the magnums, nor even the 30-06 class of cartridges offer me any advantage.
This is all very encouraging to hear from another person. You've pretty much put in writing what I'm reasoning with myself on, minus the 400 yard shooting. I'm not used to shooting at game that far, but I do want the ability to do it, so again that's encouraging. Same thing I've been thinking on as well with the 270/30-06 class. A very large group of hunters around this area use an 06, and live by the belief that it is THE deer rifle, haha. Good to hear some reassurance. Thanks.
