Honestly, I think OP should go for .270 Winchester if he goes fudd/bolt-action. .308 gets dicey at crunch ammo time. One of the first rounds to go and last ones to come back. .270 shoots flatter and recoils less. .308 is a bitch in some of these newer much lighter guns with synthetic stocks. If he opts to reload its gets cheap to grind out top shelf rounds. .270 is a very good bolt gun round for beginners. Can get 90 to 160 grain ammo. I run 140 for everything and it is point and shoot on big game for a long distance. .308 has more drop and no real energy advantage. I always tell people to skip .308 in bolt guns and either go .270, or jump to .300 Win Mag in a solid heavy gun. .308 is kind of a wash for bolt guns today and one should just get a semi-auto for that. It has great selection but no real advantage over many choices except for the semi-auto rifles, IMO. Also. The .270 is a great fudd round for armor vibe checking. A 130 gr rd will bust plates.