My last elk was shot with an Interarms Mark X 7mm Rem. Mag. made by Zastava. The rifle I use for deer is an old tang safety Ruger M77 .243 Win. What they have in common is they are basically Mauser 98 actions with hinged floor plates. I'm also a blued steel and walnut guy but I do understand the advantages of new materials like composites, graphite and stainless steel.
I still prefer control round feed actions. I can take or leave detachable magazines as long as they don't hang to far below the stock (flush is what I prefer.
A couple of years ago due to my job and the discount advantages that come with it; I bought a Ruger American Predator 6.5mm Creedmoor. I really just wanted to play with the Creedmoor and this gave me a chance to do it on the cheap.
I'm impressed with the rifle. Even as cheap as it is it is scary accurate. It shoots several factory loads into nice 1/2 MOA groups at 200 yards. Some of that might be the cartridge but I have nephew with the same rifle chambered in .243 that does the same. Is a rifle I would recommend, sure if budget is a major part of the equation. Of course it doesn't have some of my preferred elements like control round feed.
If I'm buying a rifle today I would look at a Kimber, Ruger M77, Winchester Model 70 or any number of Mauser 98 actioned rifles.
So lets get to it and open up a caliber argument. Buying to day if deer and antelope and maybe an elk now and then I would look at three calibers long and hard: the 7mm-08, .308 and 6.5mm Crredmoor. I see the advantages of a short action so I'm passing on a some old standbys like the .30-06 and .270 Winchester along with some of the magnum cartridges. Those old standbys are great.
Of the three cartridges I picked I really love the 7mm-08. It is ballistically the same as the old venerable 7x57mm Mauser but it works in a short action. Ammo is available most places but you had better like 120 or 140 grain pills. The 7mm-08 is very versatile and has some ballistic advantages over the .308 and it has less recoil which I find nice. The down side is to get the most out of it you need to reload especially if you want some of the great heavier 7mm bullets. I've bought a couple of 7mm-08 Zastava rifles for my grandsons. The rifles are great values and they are nice 1 MOA shooters. They will do the job on most of what we hunt using the right bullet and if the shooter does his part.
Now to the 6.5mm Creedmoor. It isn't magic like some seem to say and write. There are any number of 6.5mm calibers that wild the same job, some maybe better so none as choice are wrong. Due to it becoming scary popular it has tons of manufacture support. You can find about any rifle you like chambered in that caliber. Finding a large selection of factory ammo is not a problem. I've played with it enough now to know you will have a hard time with reloads surpassing factory ammo for accuracy.
The down side of the 6.5mm Creedmoor is again you better like 120 or 140 grain bullets if you're buying factory ammo.
Some may say it is too light for elk but I know plenty of people that have dropped elk in their tracks with this caliber. At a reasonable range I wouldn't think twice about using it on elk but again I would feel better with a heavier 7mm bullet. On deer and antelope this caliber is about perfect. Due to sectional density you have a great penetration potential in a rifle that is very mild when it comes to recoil.
Okay now to the .308 Winchester. Finding ammo on the shelf in a wide range of bullets is no problem. Recoil is reasonable but the other two are more pleasant. Okay this is strictly a personal thing...it is just plain boring.
If elk is the main game I'm chasing then maybe I would step up to a .300 Win. Mag., .338 Win. Mag, .35 Whelen or the 9.3x62mm with me leaning heavily towards the .338 Win. Mag.
One of the grandsons Zastava 7mm-08 rifles.
My little Ruger American Predator 6.5mm Creedmoor. A rifle this cheap just doesn't seem like it should shoot as well as it does.
