Having used your last four caliber choices, my vote goes to the .300 Win. Mag. as the most versitile, particularly if you reload. It shoots the same bullets as the .308 and the 30-06, but with more speed and energy. It can also be down-loaded (reduced speed and energy), if less recoil is desired. One down-side to magnum rifles is that they can weigh more than non-magnum rifles.
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I've not met a gun I didn't like. Got way more than I need but I recall the words of a guy that went to school with me way back in the old days. He went to work for the game commission and had this advice for me and my truck load of guns: Get one rifle and learn to shoot it well, same with the hand gun and the scattergun, you will be a better hunter! It took me too many years and too much money to follow his advice, but it is true. The '06 and .308 can handle about any thing most of us will ever hunt. Several years ago, I had an unfortunate encounter with a buck and my old Remington 700 30-06. Right in the middle of the rut ,I made a bad shot and had a crippled deer during a real dry winter and a dog couldn't even trail him up. Needless to say, I blamed the gun and grabbed my son's little .243 Rem. model 788. Killed several deer with that little rifle that season and fell in love with the .243 round. Next Fathers Day my family presented me with a Rem. 700 .243 and its been sweet ever since!(ran a round or two down the barrel of the '06 after season closed and found out it still shot where it was supposed to. I simpley made a bad shot). At my age I'll probably not hunt any thing bigger than a whitetail and I wont feel like I've been in a dove field when i get done playing with my old .243. Just my thoughts,but again I aint never met a gun I didn't like!
First and foremost...I am a fan of the .30-06 above all others. As has been said, it's got the most availability of commercial loads. Yes, the .308 is comparable in ballistics to the .30-06 for factory loads as well although the extra case capacity of the -06 gives it an edge in handloading. I feel remiss in not mentioning the .270 as well. If there's any other caliber that comes close to or equaling the .30-06 in availability, it is the .270. You can pick up factory loads for either in most every location ammunition is sold in the country. For a guy that's only going to hunt deer, pigs and maybe occasionally an elk or a black bear, you can't go wrong with a .270. If you're going to hunt larger game consistently, I think the .30-06 would be a better choice as the all around rifle.
