...get the Ruger in 300 Winny......get the work done as you describe and you'll have a good rifle....I know you like big guns...and the 7-08 won't scratch your itch like the 300 Win will....and I know you can handle the recoil...

...the Ruger in a laminate is pretty heavy and good at soaking up recoil....the 300 version will be about 9-1/2 lbs with scope...my oldest son has a lefty Ruger laminate in 30-06...weighs a full nine pounds with a 3-9 Elite 3200 on top,....the 300 will have a heavier barrel with an extra 2" on it.....it'll be about 9-1/2 lbs.....
but,...then again...the Vanguard is somewhat of a sleeper in the new rifle wars.....great action.....triggers are reworkable....or a Timney is about $150...
pretty light for a 300 Winny though......I'd get one in 7mm Rem Mag and shoot 160's...less recoil.....and that'll do 99% of what a 300 Win/180 combo will do....