If I were to pick two of my current rifles; it would my MK V , 7mm-08 and my B78, .257 Wby mag. If I felt I need something bigger; I would take my MK V .270WBY mag over the .257.

338-06 and 308 would be the two for me.out if what you listed I'd go 308 and 300win mag.tikka 308 maybe kimber and a bergara 300 win mag. would be sweet!

So we (I) pretty much got the Bean field/out west/long range caliber nailed down to a 300. Now let's make this a little more interesting. Possiby 3 guns max.

Mountain rifle: short, light, quick handling, smooth as a baby's ass, less than 200 yards max shot opportunity. Usually no more than 125ish. What caliber for in the shoulder shots, knockem flat on their ass, no tracking required, BIG exit holes. Again action length and recoil don't matter.

308
30-06
300wsm
358win
35whelen
450/45-70
??????

7x57 then

I'm still saying .25-06 or .260 Rem. Never had one go more than 25-30 yards with either, and they usually die right there, and I have never recovered a bullet. Always went all the way through.

If you think you need more horsepower than that, then the .264 Win Mag or 6.5 PRC should be more than enough.

30/06

.280 Ackley is also a serious deer killer.

Eleanor O'Connors 7x57 the 260/7-08 then.

A .308 bergara ridge makes a pretty decent mountain rifle from my experience. It can be a wee bit heavy though due to the barrell contour. 😀

338-06 AI. 200 GR accubond or SST driven to 2850 FPS or so.

BIG holes in critters.

Yea your Bergara definately has a little heft to it. I'm thinking something along the lines of a Mdl 7 in 358win would be a sweet hard hitting mountain gun.

2 BIG holes are nice when you are hunting these thick rocky mountains.

Marlin lever action. In 35 Remington, 308 marlin 444 marlin 45 70

My pick for a short/light sub 200 yard gun would be one of those two. Kimber Montana cut back to 20in in 338fed or 358win or a T/C contender carbine in either of the two calibers

I was looking around online and seen where TC offers the Encore Pro Hunter in a 20" barreled 460S&W. That would shonuff be a short, light gun and a 200gr 45cal bullet traveling about 2700 fps should be like Thors hammer inside 200 yards and would probably produce massive holes. The 450 Marlin dont look bad for a sub 200 yard hammer either.

12 gauge shotgun with a rifled barrel and scope for slugs

any 30 cal of your choice will kill anything in north america. plus seem easy to find ammo. most gas stations at my house carry all the popular 30 cal chambers. 308 medium/large game and a 223 for small game varmints would be my 2 if I could only have 2. plus a 22lr and a good 12 gauge. Ive thought about this subject before and often discuss first time rifle purchases with coworkers getting into shooting that's looking for a do it all rifle. my xbolt 308 with a 20" barrel is perfect for me. can hit them longer shots and short enough to not beat the walls off a shooting house setting up to shoot. just my .02

.308 or 30-06 and 25-06