Certainly a great weapon...but actually, I'd opt for the weaker .30 carbine. It doesn't have the wallop of a .308, but I can pack 1,000 rounds into just a little more than two shoeboxes of space. It's generally adequate for 2-legged vermin out to 150-200m and will take rabbit to deer size game without turning the meat into red fog.
If I lived in a more northerly clime, I'd probably opt for something more along the lines of your first pick.
What do you have against Red Fog? LOL.
30-30 Marlin/Winchester?