Don't forget it is fairly cheap to shoot and easy to find shells in a pinch. I have a 270 win and taken wt's, mule deer, elk, balck bear and moose. However I feel she is a little light for the elk and moose variety when the shots are in that 200 plus range, but up close it works fine. Again the key is put it in the right place and he'll go down. Like said, it is flat, velocity is high and recoil is managable.