This is fun and entertaining, a question almost impossible to answer in agreement. However, I think it is hard to argue against the pre-64 Win Model 70 since the sporting .308 is the .308 Winchester, and since the Model 70 is a descendant of the Model 98 Mauser, which others have espoused above. On the other hand, I would say the Model 700 Remington, if not classic, is the most "elegant" bolt action of the twentieth century, elegant in its simplicity and quality.