ORIGINAL: younggun243
IMO, any WSM in a 700 action wouldn't work well, because the WSM's are very fat cartridges, and it's harder to cycle the bolt.
A friend of mine's got one in .300 WSM, and the thing would jam all the time when trying to chamber.
I think a 30-06 would be better.
I don't see why. I can assure you that the WSM line is no harder to feed that others I've owned. Your friends rifle sound to me like it has a problem with the magazine follower. I wouldn't attribute the problems to every 700 or the WSM family. I would guess that a couple of minutes with a good smith and the jamming issue would be solved.
the 300 WSM is an excellent cartridge and would fit KEH75's parameters nicely. Though I would hesitate to recomend it to someone with limited experience with rifles. the 300 WSM's that i've shot have a fair amount of felt recoil. I would recommend that if he's interested in that cartridge to try and shoot one prior to purchasing. My recomendation would be to buy something that is reasonbly light on recoil yet capable and enjoy shooting and learning your rifle. If I was choosing a cartridge for you I would try to find a 280 Rem, though I wouldn't think twice if you told me you prefered the 30-06 as it is an excellent round as well.
The 700 XCR isn't worth the extra money in my opinion. If you can buy a sps stainless for $300 less I would pocket the 3 bills and never look back. The sps stainless is an excellent choice. Savage, Ruger, CZ, and a host of other manufacturers make quality weapons as well.