I have no doubt my .30-06 firing a 150 gr.Core-Lokt would get through to the vitals, but it's not something I would want to prove in the field. Antlers are great, but I want meat in the end. What's the point of killing a deer if you get guts all over everything you'd normally eat?

As far as lesser calibers getting the job done...I have no idea what works and what doesn't. Better not to even try.