Welcome to the forum...

In my opinion, you should match the firearm to the type of huntingand the terrain you will be in.

Example: You wouldn't want to carry an old .30-30 with open sights out to the open plains of Nebraska, hunting mule deer. Just like you wouldn't want to carry a massive .300 magnum with 4-12x40 scope into the wicked thick, heavy, brush, hunting a whitetail deer.

I am a .30 caliber fan and hunt with two different rifles, for the two types of terrain I hunt in.

Heavy brush, thick woods, shots limited to 50 yards at max: My old Marlin .30-30 with plain iron sights is perfect for this.
Up on the ridgetops, overlooking the abandon pasture, shots upwards to 200 yards at max: My Savage .308 with a Bushnell 3-9x40 scope is perfect for this.

Both rifles don't pound your shoulder and the ammo is relatively inexpensive compared to other ammo.

...just my opinion.