Enough of this junk. I have problems with every caliber mentioned here except the .260 remington. The 25-06 is a long action and there fore is not as accurate as the short action. Say what you will but short actions are stiffer and there fore inherrently more accurate. Next the 6mm, 243 and 25-06 are too small for whitetail with any size to them. The 260 is however a good choice. But the best choice has yet to be mentioned. The 7mm-08 remington. You can use 100 grain for varmints and 140 grain for whitetail. They are quite capable of one shot kills on the largest whitetails out past 300 yds. Have dropped 3 for 3 with one shot at 368 yds. 3 deer over 2 years standing under the same tree at the back of a food plot. One weighed 300lbs on the hoof and none of them even flinched. Sorry but the small calibers are just not enough for deer. Great varmint rounds but not deer rounds. I know I know so many people do it every year but what about the large number that are shot with these small calibers that run off wounded and never found. It just aint ethical. So either get a 260, 7mm-08 or just keep your 06.