After a few decades of hunting I progressed from my first 30-30(new$99) which I thot was massive. Then got caught up in needing more gun to be successful and for years shot my Ruger 300WM with Redfield 3x9 with drop comp, and still my favourite to get the job done on elk, bears,etc. I now hunt mostly deer and varmints so an ancient Remington semi-auto 30-06 I found a few years ago in new condition would be picked if I could only choose one. It is close to my age and still serves me flawlessly. Ammo is cheap so I hammer varmints year round. It is light, short and recoil is almost nonexistent but most of all,having multiple shots available in a split second while still maintaining line of sight is worth its weight in gold. That second shot has anchored many a whirling buck trying to exit a scrape site after the first shot went awry in the bush. After that first jump most bucks are free of the majority of hunters shooting abilities.