ORIGINAL: NVMIKE
magnums arent required, but they are better if the shooter does his part and can handle it. There are more slob hunters shooting 30-30, 30-06,308 and 270 than 300mags....by the same margin that those rifles outnumber the 300mags. More people useing them = more slob hunters. The shooters part is made easier w/ a magnum, they kill better w/ all other factors being equal. The problem w/ these boards is that everyone is a one shot-crack shot-drop em in their tracks - never lost an animal-never missed a shot-never placed a bad shot, hunter
. (Yeah ...right.)When everyone is so perfect no one needs another caliber. If you dont beleive that the power over 1000lbs makes a difference, try useing a 243 on elk, a 223 on big northern deer, or 250 savage on griz. you may do fine, for a while...but sooner or later...[:@]trouble will come your way.
My experience suggests. Of course, this is just deer country around here, so it probably doesn't hold true for all areas. But on average, the folks around here that typically shoot the best and kill the cleanest do it with smaller calibers. Several use .222's, and the range is on up to 25-06 and 270. These folks have guns they like to shoot, so they shoot them often. I know of some others that use bigger rifles. Like Charley said:
I have seen a lot of hunters that can effectively use the added power of larger cartridges, butI have seen far more "once a year shooters" who can't hit the ground with one, and are afraid of their rifle to boot!
They are afraid of their rifles. They bought a rifle that has noticeable recoil, and they don't like to shoot it. I hadn't really given it much thought until a fewfolks were watching me shoot my .223 for target practice. I got a few of them shooting, and they had a flinch that was unreal. After about 20 or so rounds, they got to where they could shoot some pretty nice groups. One of them had his son there, and I never could talk him into shooting it. He was afraid it would kick like his dad's rifle. I asked them if they wanted to shoot their rifle some before hunting, and it was a universal "No."