ORIGINAL: Whitehorn
I doubt that magnums are 100% effective all the time and I would imagine that there are stories where magnums didn't do the job as effectively as intended. And I am sure those stories won't see the light of day. The magnum people out there may staysilent with their negative experienceand may not respond with stories of how it got away from a 300 WinMag.
Whitehorn, you do bring up a good point and it's true that there is nothing 100% effective. But I do have to say I have never seen a .30 cal 180 grain or higher premium bullet explode on the shoulder (basically good shot placement) of an elk leading to a mile plus tracking job. Unfortuneately for me I can't say that about the "other" cartridge mentioned in this thread.
Now the .30 cal's (I hate the word "magnum") do the job when they hit heavy bone, that's why I like em and talk about em so much. I'm sure they have failed, but I've yet to hear of it. I like the 7mm Mag as well because you can put 175 gr bullets in it.
But I would be very open and interested about hearing about .30 cal failures. I think it would be a great discussion and I'm serious about that. There is no sarcasim or smugness in that comment. But I am just as tired as anyone with the .270 discussion.