My father has a Savage 99C in .308 cal. Bought it new in '76 and hasn't purchased another rifle since. It has killed whitetails by the score, mule deer, elk, and moose. He uses 180gr. Winchester Silvertips for all game, as they work best with his rifle. Plenty of power at any range he has to shoot at, and the 308 for most big game is a one shot one kill cartridge.

Hey Hiawatha!!! Steal that 99 Savage back!!

Here is a quick bit on some facts of the 308 calibre.

This entry below is plagarized from SPEER's Reloading Manual #12:

Like many other successful sporting cartridges, the .308 Winchester began
as a military development. The Search for an effective and compact cartridge
for machine guns and semi-auto service rifles actually began shortly after World
War I and continued until the experimental T65 cartridge was adopted by the U.S.
as the 7.62 NATO service cartridge in 1954.

Winchester beat the military to the punch by introducing the T65 as the
.308 Winchester in 1952. The case was almost a half-inch shorter than the
30-06, but, with special ball powders developed for the T65, the .308 could
nearly match the ballistics of the older service cartridge. First offered in
the Winchester Model 70 bolt action and the Model 88 lever action, the .308 was
quickly picked up by other manufacturers. It was a natural for short-action
rifles and quickly established a reputation for accuracy.

Winchester barrels for the .308 were made with a 1-in-12 inch twist rate.
This limited the heaviest useful bullet weight to 200 grains instead of 220
grains, found in the 30-06. Other rifle makers have built .308 rifles using
1-in-10 inch twist barrels. There seems to be little practical difference
between the two twist rates with bullets lighter than 200 grains.

In the hunting field, ballistic differences between the .308 and the 30-06
are negligible. The choice between the two cartridges can often be made by the
type of action you prefer. A short bolt-action or a semi-auto, lever- or
slide-action favors the .308. In full-length action, the 30-06 gets the nod.
Both cartridges can be used on similar types of game. They are suitable for
anything in North America with the exception of the great bears. We prefer a
larger, heavier bullet on these.

In a target-grade rifle, the .308 can be used effectively on steel and
paper targets out to 1,000 yards. Normally bullets such as Speer's 168 and 190
grain match boat tail hollow point are used for competition. In most rifles,
the .308 is capable of top-notch accuracy.

Because the .308 Winchester is a military spn-off, surplus cases are
readily available. Military cases are often thicker than commercial ones, and
have less case capacity. Reduce charges developed in commercial cases at least
5% when loading military brass. Also, try to match headstamps for more uniform
results. The loads to not exceed the SAAMI maximum average pressure of 52,000
cup.

Another tip from someone else I found that applies here:

When you are thinking about what will get the job done, remember the 3 biggest
factors affecting bullet lethality: (1) Shot Placement, (2) Shot Placement, and
(3) Shot Placement. Do this well, and it will cover up a myriad of other sins.
Pick a cartridge that's in the general ballpark of being appropriate for the
job, add marksmanship, and the rest will follow.