[Jeff Higgins]

Your choices all but bracket the one that makes the most sense: the good old .30-'06.

Much has been said about this round as the perfect "all around" caliber for any North American game, so I won't rehash any of it here. I'll just speak from personal experience, as a guy who, even by my own admission, owns "too many" rifles.

If I were ever, for any reason, stuck with just one, I have it down to two choices. .375 H&H magnum or .30-'06. The .375 is heavy for some stuff; the .30-'06 is light for some stuff. They overlap a great deal in the middle, though, on game like mule deer, elk, and black bear. You can include big white tails in there too, I guess. I would base my final choice on whether I thought it more likely I would be hunting brown bear and moose, or pronghorn and sheep in addition to those in the "middle ground".

To me, the .30-'06 neatly splits the difference between the .308 and .300 mag. It will, in real world terms, do what either one of those will do. It handles heavier bullets better than the .308. It gives up no noticeable ground, in the real world hunting fields, to the .300 mag. I would defy anyone, save for the additional blast and recoil, to tell me which one he just shot by how it performed on game, or by how "flat" it shot, when comparing the .30-'06 side-by-side with a .300 mag.

There is a significant advantage as far as variety of ammunition commercially available for the .30-'06 as well. You will find a broader spectrum of bullet weights and styles than in either of the other two. Plus, it shares the cost advantage of readily available surplus ammo with the .308, something the .300 mag can't say. This is a huge advantage for the non-handloader.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. I've played with most of what is out there. While the old .30-'06 is not as glamorous, new, or trendy as some of the newer kids on its block, it is still by far the best bet as an only rifle, or as a go-to backup with proven, reliable performance.