Exactly what do you plan to hunt with it? Don't rule out the .25-06. It is an excellent round for game up to the size of deer. I wouldn't recommend hunting anything larger with it but I'm sure it would work on elk or moose with proper bullet selection and precise shot placement. Handloaded with light bullets, good powder selection, and careful weighing it would make an excellent round for fox and coyote. As a bonus the recoil and muzzle blast are nothing.