i would say the 30-06sprg. just because i own two and they are great. good selection of ammo. ammo is cheap aswell. plus if you go by plane somewhere and they loose your ammo. almost any mom and pop store will carry it.
but my second choice would be maybe a 280rem or 270win depending if you are gonna hunt more deer than elk.
top her off with a nice leupold. ( your gun is as only good as the optic you put on it ) JMHO.....
maybe a 2-7X33mm would surfice..

Hi atlasman,

If you are intending to have only one centerfire rifle to do anything in North America....the .30-06! (Actually, you can find ammunition for the .30-06 worldwide.) It is the quintessential "single rifle battery"!

You'll find ammo for it anywhere. You'll find it inexpensively....because it is so common. And you'll find it in very differing loads to tailor for its intended use. It is the most common caliber for a very good reason!

Best of luck with your decision!

Since you mentioned you didn't want to spend a lot of money, leave the WSMs out of it (expensive ammo). I'd go with a .270 Win or a 7mm-08 Rem. Both are perfect deer cartridges that are more than adequate for most elk hunting. Good luck!

30-06!

Good Luck and Good Hunting,
EKM

You'll never go wrong with a .30/'06! None of the new short magnums have enough more power than the '06 to recommend them, and you can get '06 ammo anywhere on earth. The short magnum ammo is not yet as widely available!!

Other good choices would be the .270 Win., 7mm Rem Mag., or .308 Win.

My own choice would be the 7mmremmag as it shoots flatter than the 30-06 with similar recoil.

30.06 will work just fine. Great all around rifle.

For 1 rifle, I would go with a 340wby--its more than sufficient for the big bears and has worked great on antelope and deer. If you are worried about the recoil--ask yourself--do you really feel recoil when shooting at game?