I would highly recommend the Encore. I really like mine. I consider it very versatile, fast handling, short, fairly light weight, and more than accurate enough to do the job. However I would not recommend the Pro Hunter. IMO it is over priced for what you get.

I have two actions, several barrels, and a couple different stock. If I were you this is how I would purchase a new Encore.

You can order the action from Stratton or Bellm, and you can order it with a custom trigger job. Those two guys do a great job. You can then order a custom barrel. I prefer the MGM barrels. But there are several good barrel makers out there. Then I would order the stock I wanted. This is how I did it, and now I have a custom Encore for the price of a Pro Hunter that still needs a trigger job!!

As far as a cartridge is concerned it is hard to beat the old 30-06. That is my favorite deer hunting Encore barrel. But if you relaod you can get creative with a custom barrel. Personally I would stay away from the 25-06. But then I do not have much use for a quarter bore(too big for the little stuff, and too small for the large stuff). This is just my opinion, but I have owned a few of them. And I got rid of all of them. Tom.