First Time,

I don' t know what part of the country you are from; however, here in Colorado and all the states I' ve ever hunted in, 338 ammo is as common as dirt -- been around for a long time -- much more available than some of the new sexy sizzle calibers currently being introduced. The " installed base" is huge -- take a look at " Poll: What' s your favorite big game rifle?" 30-06 is clearly in first place with the 338 and 7mm tied for second and everything else " falls away" from there.

Pick which ever caliber you want; however, again, I recommend that you don' t build a rack of rifles with the calibers ALL clustered in the mid-range -- space them out so you have the rifles available to match the tool to the given job.

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM