7-08 and 308 are both great choices for a starter gun. If you are just starting out, you may find after a few years that you want to chase other game, say, like moose. Both a 7-08 and 308 can take a moose but my preference would be to go with a 308 for that job. Someone mentioned ammo availability and I agree that 308 ammo is probably easier to acquire in a variety of different places. This can be an important consideration if you travel to far off distant hunting locales and have a ammo problem, need to re-sight your rifle, etc.