I imagine I may be jumping the gun, but I imagine here in a few someone will come on saying that the quarter bore (specifically the 25-06) is the best thing since sliced bread....topped with a vortex scope it is the most lethal combination in the Northern Hemisphere.

22 to a 300 mag, take your pick.

Agreed on the flailing of the dead equines - but just for grins someone try this.

Best all around - meaning it has to be effective in all terrains and situations, and deer - meaning whitetail, coues, blacktail and mule.

Since these deer range from the swamps of Florida, to the big timber of Maine, to the prairies of Saskatchewan, to the deserts of Arizona, to the mountains of Utah, and the rain forests of British Columbia, that leaves a lot of options. Plus you have to consider that the average size of the deer may range from under 80 lbs to over 300.

Based on the huge range of sizes, and the vastly differing terrains and lengths of shots, I believe you need to equip yourself to perform at the upper end of the scale. After all, you can be overgunned and get away with it, but if you're undergunned you may get burned. You need something that will consistently drop a 300 lb mule deer or one of those bruiser Saskatchewan whitetails in their tracks at what would be considered maximum range for a normal shooter. Let's call it 300 yards (although in reality I doubt a majority of shooters are really qualified to shoot that far).