Every rifle loony should have one constant in life, one that works day in and day out no matter what. The rest of the guns get tinkered with, but not this one. The "go to" rifle in other words.
Mine is a .30-06 custom Mauser which has been shot with the same old boring load of 4895 and the 165 Sierra HPBT for 20 years now. Does it get used much? Nah. It's there if I need a gun that I know is dead nuts on, and dead nuts reliable no matter what. It's like the mother hen looking after all the other rifles nestled beside it, and is content to stay behind when the rest get taken out for a fling. Am I tempted to experiment with that one? Nope. Every once in a blue moon I shoot up the couple boxes of ammo I keep handy for it, then reload it fresh.
As for bullets and powder choice, darn near any of it works in an '06. Find a combo that is accurate in your gun and stay with it, if it's your "go-to" gun. If it's deer we're talking, close your eyes and pick a bullet between 110 and 180 grains- they'll all send a deer to kingdom come. It ain't rocket science, and personally I have a lot more to contemplate/worry about in life than which bullet is the best for whacking a garden-variety deer.
