Some of these answers go back a few pages. I was gonna adress the point that was made that the magnum guys are as bad as the anti-magnum guys. I disageePARTIALLY. The anti-mag guys bitch and name call EVERY SINGLE time a mag is mentioned.I dont recall a mag lover EVER raiseing hell about useing standard calibers on deer sized game. When it comes to elk and the lower end standard calibers(270 25-06ect...I cant recall a mag lover ever saying that a 30-06 is worthless or inadequate for elk, some have said that they preferr bigger, but not that the 06 WONT do.) the mag loversARE as bad. The thing that kills me is when guys say the MAGNUM CALIBERS are no more effective than the standards. COME ON.... the shooters may not be as effective w/ a magnum, but that is not the caliber not perfroming, thats the shooter. Any comment about the smaller calibers being as effective needs to be qualified w/a comment about the shooter not being able to handle thecaliber. I catch hell both ways, I have my wife and kids shooting 6mm (which James B ,whos oppinions i do respect, keeps telling me are an inferior caliber), while I shoot the 300win. mag. Bottom line, if your hunting big and tough animals like elk the 6mm is better than the 243, the 25-06 is better than the 6mm, the 270 is better than the 25-06, the 280 or 7mag are better than the 270, the30-06 is better than the 280or 7mag, the 300mags are better than the 06, ....ect. The real issue is whether yourresponsible enough to know your limits. If you cant handle recoil very well, just say so use a 280, no problem, youdang sure dont want to use a 338 ultra mag. But dont go on about how the 280 is just as good a performer as the 338RUM. TheCOMBINATION ofYOU and the 280 are better suited to hunting elk than areYOU and the 338RUM.The coment about the 20 hunters w/ standard calibers VS 20 magnums is ignorant at best. Come out west and me, BBJ,And red will take you on with our deer wounding magnums. James B - the point I was makeing about the# of woundeddeer by caliber was based on the number people useing those calibers. The more popular a caliber is the more slobs your gonna get useing it, not thatany caliber is inherently a deer wounder.