Sounds like you are coming out West for a hunt, if you say you are a couple of years out. Most folks from the other parts of the US plan for a couple of years to hunt out here.
I grew up hunting in Idaho for elk, deer, antelope, and bear. I have hunted in everything from high-desert to 45 degree rocky mountain slopes.
I have no idea which rifle you should choose out of those two. I haven't hunted with either. But I do know that exactly the area you plan to hunt in, and the animal you are after, are the most important factors.
When out West in the mountain areas, you generally want the lightest rifle, with the best sling, and the clearest optics, that puts the bullet where you want it, with the most consistency.
I have hunted with 10lb rifles and 7lb rifles. You want a 7lb rifle. As long as it will deliver enough energy exactly where you want it, then the rest is semantics.
My ultimate rifle these days is a Winchester Model 70 pre-`64 action with an XTR Featherweight barrel chambered in .30-06 Ackley Improved, with a comfortable rubber sling, composite stock, Nikon optics, and under 8 lbs. It will do 3/8" groups at 100 yards with 180 grain bullets at nearly 3000 fps.
This rifle will work for nearly anything I want to hunt West of the Mississippi.
