I just ordered a 25-06 15" Encore barrel. My main question is: Is it possible to obtain 3000+ fps safely with the 87 gr bullet? The reloading manuals list 3400 fps as max from a 24" barrel so I just figured 300 fps with a 9" shorter barrel. Also is the 87gr bullet adequate for deer?

Has anyone played with the Nikon 2.5-8x scopes? I need a new scope for the above barrel and was thinking about trying one of them.