A 300 Whisper would be hard to beat, although the Encore platform is awfully large... But if you want a 10" barrel and efficiency, then the Whisper is a proven cartridge on coyote and deer. Use the 110 V-Maxes on coyote and 125 BTips on deer. Out to 150 yards it will work great. Nothing wrong with a 10" .357 Maximum either....more recoil and blast but plenty of power for your uses.
The .223 works in a 10" barrel, especially with faster powders to reduce blast - but it is too marginal on deer IMO. I love my .30 Herretts but if I didn't have them I'd use my 300 Whisper....
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