I vote Savage mainly because my kids have three of them and I've seen first hand what a value they are. Too, and this is just me, and nothing against Marlin, but the XL-7 hasn't been out all that long and I'm usually a bit cautious with the newest, latest, greatest until it has had time to prove itself. As to caliber, and again this is personal preference here, I have never been a .270 fan. I've never hunted elk so I can't address that with the .25-06 but do know that there is myriad choices in .30-06 factory ammo, making it viable for anything from groundhogs to elk and everything in between. Hope this helps. Good hunting.

I can see your delema... these are all great cartriges and with one rifle you will have to choose. The XL-7 is getting rave reviews as a LOT for the money but alas, the Savage is more money and a better rifle. Just apply regular 3-in-1 oil to the action rails as you cycle it 300 times... you will make it smooth as snot. The cartriges bring these thoughts to my mind:
30-06 - If elk are your main pursuit, this is the one for you. More than you need for deer and ridiculous for varmints (yes, I can send a 110g bullet after them but why?). If you are hunting dark timber, you can get heavy round nosed bullets that buzz through a little brush. This is one of the most versatile cartriges available and can go from little 110g p-dog bullets up to 250g grizzley bullets if you need to. The best if you only shoot two boxes of bullets a year at a variety of game or if you hunt big stuff a lot.
.270 - Great for prairie deer, fine for timber deer and plenty OK for elk. Kicks like a mule and still not something to shoot all day at targets or little varmints. Has a sharp/snappy recoil. Its OK for coyotes with the lightest bullets but not something I would want to bring to a prairie dog town. Another very flexible cartrige. That is what has made it so popular. This is the best for long range wide open territory and lots of deer and not great for the small varmint spectrum.
25-06 - The BEST for everything from prairie dog (it is NOT too large for p-dogs with 75g bullets and I will gladly demonstrate as I have many times against .220 Swifts and .22/250s) to deer of all kinds but on the light edge for elk. Recoil of a .22 with the hit of a .270 and the best of the bunch for things that run FAST. Its light recoil allows as many shots a day as you can afford. Very light for elk but could be used. There is no doubt that if you hit the largest bull in the chest with a Barnes 115g TSX, he will die in the same manner as with the two above. The largest elk taken by a woman in SD last year was taken with a 25-06. This would be the one to get if you only shoot an occassional elk and a lot of deer and coyotes with thousands of rounds per year on p-dogs or targets. Hope this adds to the perspective... good luck!

You can get a Savage hunter package that comes with a scope in just about any caliber for around that price.

I just finished my first season using my new Savage .270 and wouldn't get rid of it for anything. I did buy the hunter package as mentioned above but replaced the scope with a Nikon. The scope that came on the 270 is on a .22 rifle now. You just can't beat a good scope on a good gun. I would reccomend the hunter package though as a starter and as you can afford better optics replace the scope down the road. Good luck hope you enjoy hunting as much as I do.

Over the years I have been known to sell and buy rifles quicker than Obama changes his mind. I have had several Savages and traded or sold them to buy one of the bigger name rifles. I should learn but I am a slow learner that the big name rifles never shot as good as the Savages. The only complaint I ever had about Savage was the trigger and Savage cured that with the accutrigger. The Model 14 and 114 is one of the finest looking rifles and as you know the detachable magazine is right up my alley. I would buy a 308 or a 30-06. The selection of bullets is outstanding and either will kill deer and elk with ease with proper shot placement. I always wondered how a little 130 grain .277 bullet could kick so hard. I have owned 280's and they never seemed to kick like that. As you can tell I am not a 270 fan. The Savage rifle will make you a fine and dependable rifle. Good luck with your selection.

I bought a Savage 116FCSS in 30-06 last year and really enjoy it.
Double digits(16) in the Savage system means a short action 308 or so and smaller, triple(116)digits means long action.
Good luck.

.270 is a fine cartridge, a .25-06 is a little light but doable, and .30-06 I've found can put down pretty well anything you shoot at, but its noisy for the velocity you get. Btw, the 11 or 111 is in referance to the action size. for .308 (short) rounds, I believe, its the 11, and for full sized ('06, .270, .300 wm, etc) its the triple digit

Sorry for the double post.

sorry, i did not see the above post... :P lol

A Weatherby Vanguard synthetic in .257 Weatherby Magnum will cost you $400. It will come with a target that it shot to prove its accuracy. Put on a Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9x40mm scope for $190. Your only problem will be feeding it. Factory ammo will cost you $55 to $80 a box. But it sure is fast.

Handload! Weatherby ammo is expensive, but I can load 150 grain Barnes TTSX for about $19 a box and 150 gr. Ballistic Tips for $11.60 a box for my 7mm Weatherby magnum. You could load the .257 Wby for a little less with the same bullets due to a little less cost per bullet. Powder cost would be about the same.

Remember the prices you see on line are typically MSP. Check out Gun Broker.com and your local store for real deals, particularly in the off season.

I give the edge to Savage in quality over the XL7. Also take a look at the new Savage Edge.

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/featured/