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Go with the .308 and don't look back. You will find it's chambered in just about any rifle you would want and it's plenty of punch for anything on the North American Continent.
 
Not much difference in a .308 and a 30-06, only about 100 to 150 FPS andabout the same in delivered energy. I've got both and find the .308 more accurate. Could be the age, the 06 was my fathers gun and he had it before I was even born. So get either, but get proficient with it.
Now on a different subject, you mentioned a .223 or 5.56 by 45 nato. Do you have this rifle. If so and it's an AR platform, and it's legal use it, but go to the 69 to 80 grain bullet. That is if it has a barrel twist of 1 in 7 to 1 in 9. These are dynamite on deer. A well placed shot and the deer won't know what hit him. After deer season go back to the 50 grainers for ground hogs. Here in Delaware we don't have those kind of choices, we're a shotgun only state, but I have relatives close by in rifle friendly places.:D
 
My choice is 30-06. Great overall performance and is a very flexible cartridge for reloaders, you cAn reload it with bullets from 110 to 220 grains.

And 30-06 is good for pretty much all game in North America from deer to Black Bears. Now for Brown/Grizzly bears you might need a bigger caliber like 375 H&H.

Just my humble opinion.
 
The main difference between .30-06 and .308 Win, is that the .30-06 will handle heavier projectiles better than the .308.

If you think that you are going to hunt elk, or even hunt other larger than deer game, such as Alaskan caribou or brown bear or bison, and you want to do it all with one rifle, then consider that aspect of the .30-06 as an advantage.

The advantage of the .308 Winchester is that it is slightly more popular, more economical to reload or buy ammo for, for a given rifle the action *might* be shorter and/or lighter by a small amount. It also tends to do better out of shorter barrels with some loads than the .30-06.

For deer hunting in western Oregon, either cartridge is fine. I have hunted elk with .308 and did not feel undergunned.

I own rifles in both cartridges - the .30-06 is a sporterized Springfield I inherited from my father and he took more elk with that rifle than most people have seen. I generally buy .308 rifles though as I prefer the cartridge and lighter shorter rifles. You may notice that the Ruger American All Weather stainless Compact is not offered in .30-06, but is offered in .308. I do recommend stainless firearms - especially in the Pacific NorthWet where a blued rifle can start showing rust during hunting season on the first day (yes, I have had that happen).

If the rifle you want is chambered for either cartridge, then you will be well served by either one.
 
The absolute, most important thing with a rifle purchase is does it fit you well? People spend enormous amounts of cash on how their custom rifles fit! While fun, if you can afford it, the rifle manufacturers of the world have invested billions into creating a rifle for YOU! If you are average it's easy! Still not too difficult if your an oddball. I'm tall, now fat and I have long arms but I have a number of rifles that fit very nicely. Just the product of feeling how they handle TO ME. Given adequate quality, power and velocity of course. Caliber is a bit farther down the list, though still important. Try every brand and type of rifle that you see at stores and gun shows. Throw them to your shoulder (although this would be a shot rarely taken, better deliberate and with a rest) how do the sights/scope line up with your eye? Does it feel like a fine instrument or a 2x4 in your hands? You are looking for natural fit, if it comes up sweet and smooth on fast it will feel all the better on a slow deliberate shot!
You can help with the whole process now, learn proper technique now! Breathing control, trigger control, stance and grip(s). The snap cap is your friend! Learn to call your shots, practice a lot! Learn to stalk! A camera is good for stalking.
While I have both .308 and .30-06 I would choose the -06 if only the one rifle for no particular reason at all. Good Luck to you! SRG
 
I think the military uses it as it was adopted by NATO. After WWII many countries in NATO expressed their dismay at the logistics of many calibers, fuels and other standards that were not really standards. The US Really wanted NATO to work and so there was much pressure on the US Military to conform to NATO standards. That is the primary reason for turbine or diesel engines in our tanks and trucks and helicopters.
I think the Army was happy with the 30-06, but they were told to get happy with the .308. NATO works.
 
I think that most people would agree that the 270 Winchester is one of the classics right next to the 30-06. At the time the 30-06 was adopted as our country's military cartridge neither the 308 or the 270 existed. The 270 Winchester has the same problem as the 30-06 does and that is its length. The 308 has the advantage of being shorter and it works much better in semi autos and machine guns for that reason. The military doesn't use too many bolt action rifles today, where length is not as much of a problem. I believe that all three are very good rounds but will always choose a 30-06 or a 270 in a hunting rifle and a 308 in a semi auto. The days of the 30-06 as a military cartridge is over.
 
I would go with neither and choose the 338 Winchester Magnum there is not any competition for ammo at the store . In fact the same boxes of ammo are on the shelfs from when I moved here two years ago the store is just holding them for me when I need some ! I have 180gr to 300gr slugs for it so pretty much covers all the bases and makes a hell of a thump gotta love the attention at the range and does not cause severe blood shot on the animal I am persuing .
 
Though I like and have had 338 Win Mags before it is certainly not a beginners rifle - may be the next rifle but starting out I think the recoil could cause major issues with flinching and in all actuality it really isn't needed in the lower 48.
 
Terribly sorry, I didn't read any of the comments. I saw the title, and had to respond: "Are you kidding me?" This is probably the 1,000th time I have seen such a thread.

Go buy either one, it doesn't matter.
 

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