I've hunted for most of my life with my dad's hand me down early 70's era push feed Model 70. Chambered in .270 in featherweight trim, it has taken many whitetail over the years between him and I. My dad dropped it about 8' ten years back while pulling it up into a stand with his rope, breaking the original stock.
It's taken apart at the moment, so I'll post pics of my own hunting rifle I've used the last few years. Everyone thought it was too much to drag through the hills and brush when I built it. But I have come to trust it and if I had to grab one rifle, this would be it.
I know it's an AR, but I really put a lot of time and effort into making this rig as reliable as possible. I have dragged it through rain, snow, mud, etc. It runs like a sewing machine and shoots perfect for what it is. I've been running it for 4 years now and I have grown very fond of it.
It's a Stag 10 receiver set, 18", 1:11.25, 308 Rock Creek 5R barrel, JP Heavy BCG, Seeking adjustable gas block, RRA 2-Stage NM trigger with a heavy Wolf hammer spring, Athlon 4-14x scope in a Vortex one piece mount, Troy carbon fiber handguard and a Magpul UBR running a standard small frame H2 Carbine buffer. I can put 5 FGMM 185 jugs into my best 0.8" group, average right around 0.9"-1.0" which I consider good considering the platform and optic.
It's tuned to run anything from IMI 147gr ball to the 185s and dumps brass in a nice pile at 3-4 o'clock depending on what I'm shooting. I have some 178 ELD Match handloads to try out in it. I have some ladders worked up using IMR4064 and IMR4895 to see how the old girl does out to 600yds. Though I rarely get to shoot at that distance hunting here, I would limit this rifle to about 400yds is as far as I would take a shot with it hunting here.
Still curious to see what it will do further out. I'm actually out with it right now, had some coyotes out back making noise about 30 minutes ago. This is a pretty typical shot of my hunting area, lol...
So the 308 does a good job of cutting through the brush. The AR makes quick follow up shots easy too. Because I normally only have a limited window with these coyotes, snap shots off hand are pretty much the norm.