Houtsdg, ask yourself how you will use the rifle, if you will use it from 20 yards out to possibly 250 to 300 yards then rule out the 30/30. Its a great gun but very limited to what it can do. The 30/06 is another great gun, but now you must think about recoil, the size of the gun which equals weight, and the price of ammo. I highly suggest the .308 for several reasons. 1. it will take down nearly all north American game species. 2 it will weight less when lugging it around deer country. 3 it will cost less to shoot then alot of 06 rounds. If the military trusts the .308 for its snipers then you can trust it for deer out to 300 yards with a good zero. not to mention you will have a caliber different from alot of your buddies who propably shoot the ole trusty 06 or 30/30. Good luck!!