RE: Your thoughts please
I guess I'll put my 2 cents worth in on the 25-06 round. I started my hunting years ago in Georgia with only my grandpa's old 257 Roberts right handed bolt action (I'm a Southpaw) and I dropped many a deer with this round. Being left handed, I have become partial to companies that will go out of their way to accommodate us and I like the Ruger company. Later in my life, I came across a great deal on a left handed Ruger in 25-06 from some poor soul going through a nasty divorce who was trying to pay off his "EX" so he could keep his log cabin in the woods. I have shot everything from varmits to a black bear with it and have no complaints on the caliber or the range of it. I'm not a big bore fan as I do not like the punishment that comes with them but I do own a Ruger #1 in 45/70 that I inherited from my grandfather who by the way was 278 pounds buck naked. He loved the big bores and I think he left me the Ruger as a joke although other family members aren't laughing about it. So I have to agree with mossy33oak on his recommending the Ruger #1 as they are excellent rifles as is the Ruger line in general.