Expandables for large game would not be my recommendation. Shot placement is always the utmost whatever situation that may arise. However it is nice to have some extra insurance in case a situation arises beyond what you have planned. I always look for a head with as close to a 1-3 ratio as I can get for both penetration and flight characteristics. I also look for a cut on contact style, and have recently gone with a 3 blade design to create an extra wound channel for better blood trails. Over a 2 year period I took 9 animals with a 2 blade and the blood trails were less than suficient as far as I am concerned. All animals were recovered with some effort. This year on all 4 animals that I took with the 3 blade COC, I had blood trails that blind man could follow with pass throughs on all but one in Nebraska in which I center punched the spine, that head passed through the spine and went 4-5 inches into the cavity. I also like to shoot around 250-260 fps for optimum flight. At these speeds I can get the pinpoint accuracy that I get with my tartget bow. I am not one to accept close enough. Kraton brings up a good point though, as shot placement is always key to good success no matter what head is used. I like to use every advantage that I can get............. Also, be careful in hunting some of the western stateslike Idaho, in some expandables are outlawed.