[denton]

Yet another vote for the 6.5x55. The 25-06 and the 6.5x55 are different critters, but with 100 grain bullets, and modern loads, they are ballistic twins.

The 7-08 or 7x57 are both lovely rounds, but quite close to a 270 in performance. With modern loads, the 7x57 is practically a 270. To me, that says that those calibers would be redundant.

The 260 would be a great crossover varmint/deer round. I think that it is what the 243 was touted to be--authoritatively dispatches deer, but, with lighter bullets, pretty tough on small critters.

Through a bizarre twist of fate, my 308 became a 243, and I spent quite a while researching whether it was an adequate round for pronghorn. A big pronghorn is 125 pounds. My conclusion was that it is, especially with a premium bullet. In all my reading, there were many that swore by the 243 for deer, and many who thought it was not adequate. When you get to the 257 Roberts, all such discussions cease--nobody challenges the 257's adequacy. So, long story short, the 257 would be another excellent choice.