The 25 06 is an excellent all around cartridge that will flatten deer and black bear with authority. A friend also uses it very effectively for deer, elk and moose, and 1 is all that it takes to put meat on the table. I have never lost a deer with one, and they are usually on the ground before you blink after firing the shot. I have gone out on gopher shoots, and fired 200+ rounds in a day with it, and it is not a unpleasant experience at all. Very unpleasant for the gophers and the yotes, though. "IF" there was a one rifle per customer law, the 25 06 would be very high on my list for a selection, if dangerous game wasn't in the equation.