I moved from being a 30 cal shooter - 308/30-06/300Win Mag/300Blaser mag to 7mm. So with 5 7mm Rem Mags later and now a 7mm SAUM and 7mm Blaser on the way. Fantastic ballistic performance, a touch less recoil and no need for 30cal Heavies which drive a bunch of recoil in a light rifle. I also owned 270WSM (fast - limited bullet choice and barrel twist) and 6.5x55 (gentle, kids loved it) but the 7mm was my sweet spot. And with 7mm Rem Mag ammo you have a good choice if you don't hand load, and its economical if you do hand load.
Also you can get great performance without a using 24in barrel is you know what your doing. But hey you can shoot anything at all with a the humble 308 if you need to, out to very long way. nothing walks away from that beautiful cartridge if you choose the right projectile and do your your part.