best hp hunting rifle

I'm not sure about .30 for pest control. I have a couple of farms and ranches I do pesting at and although I have .25 caliber rifles (which will be used for coyotes) I have only needed .177 or .22 to kill anything that I've come across. critters inside 25 yards get the .177 and anything else is .22 territory. Actually, the last farm I was at I gave the .22 to my partner and used the .177 effectively on starlings out to 45 yards. I don't know what kind of monster pests you're dealing with. But, unless you've got deer, large hogs, or something big to take down, I would think that you could do the job cleanly with a smaller caliber. Also, you'll have a wider selection of ammo.