My first rifle was a .30-06. For about 10 years I used it for everything from prairie dogs to elk.
Then after moving from Colorado to Montana, my new hunting partner gave me a .30 Gibbs case. I thought that Gibbs case was the coolest looking case ever, and after carrying it around for a couple of months, I had my .30-06 re-chambered to .30 Gibbs. That was my favorite hunting rifle for about 10 years.
Ever since I first started big game hunting in the mid '60s I've admired Weatherby rifles, and especially the .300 Wby cartridge. Finally, in 2009 I bought my first Weatherby rifle, a Vanguard chambered in .300 Wby. I put the barrel and action in a AA Fancy walnut stock, hand checkered it with my favorite multi-panel, wrap a round pattern, and some other modifications, and it quickly became my new favorite rifle.
I've hunted elk with it here in Montana, exotics in Texas, Red stag etc in New Zealand, multiple hunts in Mozambique and South Africa, and Dagestan Tur in Azerbaijan.
My favorite .30 caliber rifle, my .300 Weatherby