say you are more a 200yd +/- max. kinda guy rather than 400yd +/-
AND given a 140 grain [premium] of your choice.....260 rem?...7mm/08?.. or dare I say, 6.5 crudmoor?...
This one is easy, as any of those picks will work nicely. There is a sweet spot from the 115/120gr .257 Roberts to the 140gr 7mm-08 that is very effective on deer-sized stuff at reasonable ranges, all without unreasonable recoil. You also don't need more than a 20-22" barrel to make it work well, which is nice. The Creedmoor and .260 fall right in the middle of that bracket, and if shooting 140gr bullets, a standard cup/core hunting bullet is going to work really well. Cheap but decent factory ammo is also nice for the Creedmoor and the 7mm-08. You don't need anything fancy there, but I'd reach for Hornady American Whitetail, Fusions, or Federal Non-Typical and call it a day.
