Throw in my 2 cents for a .308
I have owned .06's and 7mms. Both very good calibers for anything that walks the lower 48. I have a .300 WSM which I would like to be more familiar with but at $35-50 for a box of shells. It is a bit prohibitive. So, I oppt for the .308 for two reasons:
1. It has a reasonable recoil for a newer hunter.
2. Because of all the surplus ammo it is cheaper to to shoot. And, to my way of thinking shooting a lot is the best and only way to get proficient. All the major ammo manufacturers make excellent hunting rounds. My preference is the Hornady Light Mag 150 gr softpoint. aT 300 FPS it gives all the knockdown power you will need.
As far as brand, I was brought up with Browning and consider the higher price worth it. But Savage., Mossberg, Remington, Stevens, etc all make accurate bolt actions. I believe the accuracy of a bolt action is more important than the quick second & third shot afforded by a semi.