i am thinking of using the satin finish instead of the sst. i like the fact that the satin finish is less likely to get glare off of it and it looks great to be honest. as for caliber i am very bias when it comes to what i shoot and i am a tried and true 30 cal shooter and for me i have the 308 a great caliber and you can find bullets for it very easily and if your going to be a reloader then the ammo is unlimited in what you can find bullet wise. i am shooting the winchester 150 grain soft point factory load and i believe it is from the military and it is one nice shooting bullet. first three shots were inside a quarter at 100 yards and when the weather warms up i am going to sight in with a 150 grain hand loads in nosler ballistic tips. my dad on the other hand is a 30-06 buff though i have to sight it in for him and make sure he can shoot out past 200 yards and he too for deer uses the 150 grain soft point in 06. both are great guns but for me the 308 is the key
rob k