If you had to pick between these calibers to primarily hunt whitetails (with an occasional elk hunt)...which would you pick:

A. .270
B. .308
C. .30-06

Any of the 3 will do just fine.

Agree, I would go with 308, reason short action.

30-06 because of tradition, but any would work

7-08 is an awesome all around caliber.

Find a 3 sided die and roll, as long as it lands on 30/06

I have all three plus a 7mm-08.

For your stated purposes, there's not a bad one in the bunch.

.270 no question about it

X2. I've shot and seen firsthand what both a 30-06 and a 270 can do. I'd pick the 270 though because Jack had it right. Flatter shootin' than the 06. I don't like the 308. Never experienced it. A person ik says good things about it and he has a 270 before he bought that one. And everyone on here likes 308.

But Jack has persuaded me in his writings.

A. 30-06
B. 30-06
c. 30-06

.270.

I have a .30-06 that I never shoot

The .270 will flatten any deer on the planet

If your thinking .30-06 just buy a 7mm Remington

I own 2 .270s and everything I shoot falls. Also own a .308 and really like it. But when I go on a hunt I always grab my faithful win m70 270.

if it is going to be your only rifle and you are really going to hunt elk( real one not pasture elk) on any sort of regular basis then 3006 all the way. if you are going to hunt whtail and might hunt elk, the the 270 is the king. 308 is the chubby girl you call drunk @3am, gets it done every time but leaves alot to be desired.

.280ai

The 270 is a good caliber, but I personally would not use it on an elk hunt. It will work, but there are better calibers to use on elk. 308 is a good caliber and would be fine for deer or elk. I love my 308 and how it shoots. I have several guns and take the one(s) that suit what I am hunting for. But if have to pick one caliber between those 3, I'd suggest the 30-06 every time. It's a good round and it's available in the the widest range of bullet weights for factory loads. You can shoot lighter bullets for deer and heavier bullets for elk. Can't go wrong with it if you plan to have only one gun...for now.

From the choices listed 308, but this ^^^^ sounds like way more fun!

.270

From your list 308

http://www.chuckhawks.com/all_around_cartridges.htm

Decent article on the subject.

My Dad used a 308 for decades, but when he got into his late 60's he wanted a lighter rifle. We kids bought him a Ruger Ultralight in 270. He absolutely loved the caliber (and the rifle). I think that after he shot the first couple of deer and coyotes, he said something along the lines of "dang, boy, this 270 ya'll gave me is spectacular". He never missed the 308 and I don't think he ever took it in the woods again.

As for somebody wanting a hunting rifle because it has a short action, I think that's ridiculous. Any difference is insignificant. What are the big league USMC snipers using these days for the super long shots? I don't think it's a short action, and hunting and precision accuracy are their primary focus.

For a handloader, I'd say .30-06 any day. For the non-handloader, probably the .270.

I agree 110%. I'll take .30-06 over .308, .280 over 7mm-08, .35 Whelen over .358 Winchester, etc. etc. etc...any day of the week. Only when there's something about a particular rifle that I just hafta have will I accept the limitations of a short action.

Of your choices all will do the job as has been said above.

My choice of your 3 would be 30-06.

Considering bullet selection (110 gr plinkers thru varmit stuff, Nosler Partitions, FMJ and 220 gr bear loads) range, terminal power, trajectory, mild recoil, availability of loaded ammo and components, etc.

.30-06 a hundred times over. There is a reason all of the others are compared to the .30-06 - - it is the best one caliber for N America.

TC