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Well, I know what you mean about melta in tacs, but here is my thinking:
So you get yourself against the horde armies and it's target priority is flamer+heavy flamer squad... Melta + combimelta is not so dangerous then... Against vehicle heavy list, first to go is melta + combi-melta... That way you give your opponent to dictate the game... You allow him to choose his targets... If you have same units, then sure you would decrease your anti-high AV efficiency, but against hordes, you have 2 units that are same and therefor opponent has lost ability to choose more dangerous (which is big advantage)... That's why I don't like taking things by 1...
As for speeders, they won't get blasted so easy... Keep them in cover and out of los, untill you get chance to melta down high AV... Imo, another TL autocannon dread would be better than predator in this list... He is much better at tossing down low-AV, which you miss here...
I'd go with crusader LR... I played long time with vanilla LR, but I found out that crusader works better for me... TL assault cannon is better than lascannons for AV12-, and for higher AV, lascannon is not so good either... And you get ability to softer the unit that termies will assault... It's quite nice...

As for plasma cannon, here's my deal... I have cold dice and ALWAYS anything with plasma in it's name dies in my hands
But don't think that having s4 in same team means you will fire at infantry mostly... You have just 2 scoring units... That means that in most games (66%) you will combat squad and leave the squad on objective... And in that case you can have s8 shot or s4 blast with ML, which is kind of nice... While PC will give you nice anti-meq (not really anti-horde), it will be bad against vehicles... Blasts always are

Well I agree with your thinking, its sound which is always appreciated.

In a perfect world tacs would have remembered their chainswords, meaning they would get a second CC attack. Instead their near useless other than getting their 3+ with T4. Even at 2500 points im going to take only 2 troops choices, even if its illogical, because tacticals are that crap.

So yep, my hand is up, im guilty of emotion.

Given that if I was to double up, I would take melta because the bolters are fair against horde already.

In this instance im thinking hordes will play massively against my weakness, which is CC. Sure I may beat Tau and perhaps guard in fist fight, but realistically thats it. So I need to be 3rd best out there at shooty.

Regarding 1 of anything, here is the deal.

3 speeders AV10 with MM.
1 Rhino with melta / combimelta
1 LR with MM

Ignoring lascannons, assault cannons and so forth, what does this give me.

Turn 1 one to two smoking light armour targets. They will be hit by speeders moving 12 and hitting between 12 and 24 away, meaning I need to ensure the pen on 1D6.

If a mech opponent leaves those speeders and the rhino moving his or her way, turn 2 is going to be much more painful.

This means in turn lots of fire on speeders followed by rhino. Sure, thats fine. Apart from Hydras the speeders can use speed and for most opponents cover, as you not above.

Factor in 2 vindicators, the pred and LR now and I would say short of a leafblower list level firepower, im likely at least holding my own.

Do I need another melta rhino? Yeah probably. So whats the other side?

Horde, lets say nids.

Turn 1, hive tyrant, tyrant guard and bunch of little bugs on opponents edge of board. I roll forward vindis and lob monster shells into little bugs, then hit guard with lascannons, autocannon and plasma cannons. Majority of force castles up.

Turn 2, worst nightmare, 3 sets of 10 rending genestealers come on my flank, two from my left, one from my right. They fleet and move though cover, next turn they will be amongst my troops tearing me a new behind. Oh and a big bug comes up near my forward edge.

I need heaps of flamers, now! To my right a speeer zips over and bathes the stealers in heavy flamer goodness. Depending on outcome I can send a second speeder too but more than likely I can send the flamer rhino to hit them with two flamers and bolters. Move the rhino so troops in cover, they charge me next turn I hit at I4 they hit at I1.

So let assume between the HF and the two flamers and bolters there is not much left on my right flank. I have 20 stealers on my left.

I move two speeders 12 and bathe one squad in heavy flamers.

Second squad? I have the libby with avenger, second tactical squad with bolters, rifleman dread, predator if required.

Big bug takes the TH charge.

In short with the 2 sets of tacticals I think I need that ability to bring flamers to a horde party, even if more melta would certainly be welcome.

Plasma cannon v ML? Yeah I hear you. Combat squadding out the ML or the PC will both be nice. I guess on balance though I have what I feel is sufficient elements to take down light armour, what I am now afraid of is 2+ infantry that can really wreck my day, wolf guard with njal via drop pod, termicide, walking tz terminators, oblits and so on. Thats the role PCs play.

So yeah its a trade off and were I to tailor to a single opponent there would certainly be lots of changes, this list though needs to give me as good a shot as possible against all comers, be they dark angel ravenwing, belial and 30 odd terminators, or what seems like 400 thousand genestealers pouring onto my flanks.

Take out devies and Landspeeder and put in 2 more thunderfire cannons. 12 blast templates a turn is going to mess up whatever you fire at!

Wouldn't do that... Cannons are better in pod lists...

As for tacticals, must say that I do like my tacs... Sure, no cc weapon is really frustrating and unfluffy... But tacs when played right can be great unit...
First of all, with combat squading you have nice little firing platform that can hold objectives... Whenever I have objective games, I always do that...
Second, don't underestimate flaming and assault... My 5 man teams with 2 flamers can drop 2 templates, 3 pistol shots and then assault what's left... You'd be surprised how many units can be killed by 5-man tac squad... And not to mention my favorite anti-horde tactic, drive the rhino into them and flame the hell out of them... In low pts games, works wonders...
And finally, tacs are the kind of squad that threatens anything that opponent puts there... It can blast down most vehicles with ease, and can give great support to every other unit... Hell, you can support one tac squad with other, rapid firing with one, and then pistol + assault with other...

The thing about tacs is that they can pull out anything, but have to be supported to do so... Have too many orks in singe squad? Blast down vindi template and then flame and assault them... They're 3+ save and pf gives them nice chance to sweep opponent in first round...

Now, don't get me wrong, don't want to say that they are best unit out there... I just wouldn't call them crap..... And I certainly wouldn't play just 2 of them in 2500... Hell, I play 3 in 1750+.... 2 in 1500-....

It's all about how to use them and the rhino... With los blocking and tank shocking, rhino squad can do really great feats... Don't underestimate them