Nomercy, this is an age-old controversy.

Some think that using the smaller calibers is more sporting and a sign of greater skill ~ sort of like wing-shooting with a .410-bore as opposed to downing pheasant with a 3" 12ga.

Some others believe that it is far better to use larger, heavier bullets, since the purpose is to kill humanely and not to show one's finesse.

This is a debate that goes back at least as far as the pre-war days, when Jack O'Connor and Elmer Keith would conduct a bitter war of words defending their respective positions.

I, for one, have never been able to understand the concept of "overkill", so I guess I am more in Keith's camp. No, you can't get sloppy with shot placement with a .375 anymore than you would want to do so with a .243 ~ but all other factors being equal, the .375 will penetrate more, break more bone, create a bigger wound channel and 99 times out of 100 will leave a generous entry and exit wound.

On the other side of the coin, though, you have shootability. It is doubtless that for many hunters a .243 is a heckuva lot easier to shoot accurately than a .375, so there you have it - two contrasting variables.

The secret is to find an ideal point (represented by a cartridge) on the lethality/shootability curve that maximises both. Once we find this point, it almost always becomes our "favorite cartridge".

That's why the 30-06 is so popular. For North American game, it's one of the most lethal cartridges (especially with the heavier 180+grain bullets) while remaining eminently shootable by all but the most recoil-sensitive.

Instead, cartridges like the .243 are successful mostly because of how easy it is to shoot them and to place shots in the desired areas. However, they may be marginal at best as all-around numbers for this continent.

So, it can be said that both the .243 and the .375 are outliers on the opposite end of the lethality/shootability curve. But this doesnt' mean that there aren't guys who know how, when (and when not!) to take a shot with them to a point that they wouldn't use anything else.

I have a .375 that is somewhat heavy, and that I don't mind lugging around even on tough terrain. But when I shoot it, it really pays off ~ and I have very seldom had to give my animals a second shot. Come to think of it, every time I plan a hunt I automatically think of using that rifle. Does that mean I consider the .375 ideal? No, but it has worked very well for me.

So far, at least.


Edited by - .333 Nitro Express on 12/27/2002 10:03:23