RE: deer: 270 vs 7mm-08 vs 308
.270, 7mm-08, .308, 30-06, 25-06, .280, and you could throw in several more. Not enough practical difference to worry about. I normally pick whatever shoots accurate first with less consideration placed on the actual caliber (within reason!) This year I' ll be deer hunting with a .308 Tikka because I' ve found it to be a tackdriver. I really could have cared less what caliber it was as long as it was in a cartridge suitable for whitetail. I' ve killed deer with a wide range of calibers and never noticed a big difference in any of them. You can have a deer drop over instantly with a brain shot from a varmint cartridge or have one get away with a poor shot from a .50 BMG!