I am not sure that within reason I consider any caliber inferior. I have seen as a guide, a lot of deer wounded with the 243. However just as elk are wounded with 30-06 and 300 win Mags, it not the caliber as a rule.. I have hit deer and bigger critters at times with the 300 Win Mag and had them drop in their tracks just as I have seen my wife kill every deer she has taken with one shot from her 250 Savage. I have hit deer with the 300 Win mag that ran just as they did when hit with any other cartridge. A heart shot with any caliber is apt to leave the critter with the ability to run a 100 yards or so. There is a difference to be sure between a 30-06 and a 300 Win Mag. However, they shoot the same bullet and depending on the load, there may be very little difference. Sometimes as little as 100 fps. In those cases I on't expect to see much difference in performance. Likewise as a long time shooter of the 300 Win Mag, I have seen very little difference in the performance of the 180 grain bullet driven 300 fps fastet than the 30-06 given good shot placement. This is a must with either caliber. There is of course more difference when you compare the 30-06 or 308 to the 30-378 Weatherby. However, and this is where my disagreement sometimes starts. There is a cartain level of performance that I deem a must for certain situations. Now you can have more than you need without a problem but I am of the mind that you can have enough without going to the excess. More is not always better to me and thats where I differ from many others. Just as I believe that there is almost never a case when the margin of error pays off. A poor hit with any caliber is just that. A poor hit a wounded animal is the result. Then it comes down to many who shoot to far in some terrain, have almost no chance of recovering the animal. I have seen guys take shots across canyons that would take them several hours to get to the animal if they did hit it well. This is not just a magnum problem. Again its a hunter problem

To much velocity is as bad as not enough when it comes to bullet performance but many don't give a thought to that. Just velocity. I have many examples of this but it would take pages to get accross and while some understand what I mean, others will never see the light. I don't disagree much with what NV Mike has said.. I am no stranger to shooting the magnum rifles. I can now set back and see both sides very clearly.