I went back and read all of the posts. First I want to say whatever cartridge you decide to use you should "pass" the accuracy test. Let's say you use the pie plate method. A 12" pie plate. If you can't hit that pie plate nearly every shot, you shouldn't be hunting at all with that rifle. That should be a given in cartridge discussion. Nobody should be toting a rifle around that mountains that they can't hit the broad side of a barn with. But just like using a cannon as a crutch for poor shooting isn't ethical, using an inadequate cartridge as a crutch for not learning to shoot a larger cartridge isn't ethical.

Just about anyone out there over 110 lbs can learn to shoot a 30-06 if it's set up right for that person. IT TAKES PRACTICE!!! If you have a flinch then there are techniques to get rid of it. And again the rifle needs to be set up right for who ever is shooting it. Everything from the butt-pad to the stock to making sure you've got the right bullets that fly well out of that barrel. I've had more than one friend be "afraid" or complain of inacurracy of a larger cartridge only to find they needed a good butt-pad, practice, or use different bullets to fix the problem.