Get a 7mm/08. It’s like a fun 30/06. But funner.

I use a Ruger Scout rifle in 308 with the 18 in. Barrel. It works great out of a tree stand.

30-06 battle proven round I'm like you I dont care for 270 , 308 is versatile round it would be my next choice .

308 Sako Finnlight

The 308 is my go to hunting round. The only reason I don’t hunt with a 30/06 is because I don’t own one. I’m don’t know why I don’t but never bought one. It’s the old brother in law gun. Everybody and their brother in law has one. One day I will have one but until then I will be carrying the 308.

My thoughts.

I have a 25-06 and like it but since you already have a 270 I'm not sure you would see a lot of difference. By far the most common bullets used for deer out of a 25-06 are in the 117 to 120 grain range and the most common weight bullets people use for deer out of a 270 are 130 grain. I haven't pulled up any ballistics charts to compare but I doubt there is a significant difference between a 120gr bullet launched from a 25-06 rifle and a 130gr bullet launched out of a 270. They both have the same parent case.

I also have a 7mm-08 and really like it. Just about a perfect cartridge for hunting deer in Alabama. But again if you already have a 6.5 CM the two are pretty similar.

Of the ones you mention and given what you already have I'd pick the 30-06. Tons of different types of ammo out there if you don't reload. Bullet weights from 125 grain all the way up to 220 grain. Available everywhere.

But let me ask you this. You say it will mostly be a treestand gun and you would prefer a short action. Well most shots from a treestand usually are not extremely long. Have you ever considered a leveraction. I speak from experience when I tell you they make a nice short rifle to use in a treestand. They also come in some interesting chamberings too.

For a tree stand gun something like a Model 7 in .308 or 7-08 is about the best you can do in a bolt gun. My favorite is the 18.5 inch Model 7. Stuipd handy in a tree. I prefer a lever gun myself for shorter range work/tree stand hunting. I like the suggestion Todd1700 is making. For a woods gun I like no more than a 20" barrel and a 2-7x range scope. Maybe a 1-4x. Hard to beat those optics choices riding on a lever gun. You might want to think about a .35 Remington or .30-30. It would round out your existing rifle calibers nicely.

Since it appears you are not a big bore fan, I'll suggest one that's a little different. Find a Kimber in 257 Roberts. Very little recoil and a Kimber Montana is a good lightweight gun for treestands.

Enjoy. 👍

Solid advice.

Thanks for the input, as soon as Simmons opens back up I am going to put my hands on a few.

have you looked at the Ruger American Ranch in 350 Legend with 16.5" barrel ?

I haven't, I am looking at a couple specific rifles which unfortunately is going to limit even further the calibers that are available.

Caliber would depend on why you want or need a new rifle.

It’ll be used as a “treestand” gun. With that being said I’ll use it mostly on the edge of cutovers. Shots will be 100-150. But much longer opportunities may arise.

.308 No Doubt.
I have a 30.06 as well as many of the others you have, but I pick up the .308 3:1 vs. 30.06.

95% of my deer hunting is out of a climber . Basically all I hunt with is a 30-06. Obviously a 308 and 25-06 are plenty powerful enough to kill a deer or hog and kick less than an 006 but you are trying to drop a buck it tracks not shoot 200 rounds at the range with it. Not a fan of the 25-06. Always plenty of 30.cal components and variety 30-06 factory ammo in stock at the store too.

Several years ago I read a study about which gun had the highest percentage of DRT kills on whitetail deer. No 1 was the 25 06 in that study.

Another vote for 7-08.. I've got a Ruger Hawkeye in 7-08 and it's a sweet little rifle.

If you are not a fan of the .25-06 for deer, I would bet you've never hunted with one.

Kills way out of proportion to it's size. My longest kill ever was with a .25-06. 328 yards across a canyon on a 250 lb mule deer. Guide was watching, and said "well, we won't have to look for that one." Blood trails that are a pool under the dead critter aren't hard to follow.

No telling how many mine has taken, and the 200 lb Texas deer my nephew shot went further than any other. It staggered almost 40 yards before it bounced off a tree and fell over. Most have died where they were standing.

Only caliber I like better for whitetail is my .264 Win Mag, and I put the .257 Roberts in the same category as the .25-06.