Okay, EKM you closed byparroting David Petzal!Now I'm confused. I thought we were supposed to ignore the big magazine editor guy and listen to some random, faceless dude on the internet!

You are really running out of material and should probably let'er slide. Of course, then that would give me the last word, so of course dudely honor won't allow that. Tell ya what. This here post is my last one on this thread. I'll grant the last word to you, but let me close this one out in style.

First, I'm unaware of any point at which I said the 270 was "the best-est gun that ever was" or anything even remotely resembling that. I really like it, but to each his own.

Second, when you really, really, really boil it down, what we are talking about on all these endless threadsis an argument between accuracy and killing power. You come down on the killing power side of the argument. Good for you. I'll take accuracy, and figure that a double lung hit with anything this side ofabout 100grains of good lead will kill anything on the continent. I see my job as to insure the double lung hit. (Note I am assuming an inherent accuracy advantage to shooting a rifle of lesser recoil.)

In our family, we have 2 270s, a 308, and a 300 Win Mag. Who do you think wounds the most elk? It ain't close. The 300 Win Mag wounds, and loses, more elk than the other 3 combined. Why? Because the 300 Win Mag user takes all your big caliber arguments and uses them as a license to let fly at any elk, any time.The rest of us use a bit of discretion inpicking our shots, even to the point of letting an elk go without shooting.

Finally, where do we get off in this materialistic country of ours with the idea that you gotta have 10 rifles? Am I way off here? Did Jim Bridger head off into the wild blue with two pack animals, one for his supplies and the other to carry 12 different calibers/makes of rifle 'cause God forbid he shoot an antelope with the same round he would later use on an elk? Did Billy the Kid sit in his room and study ballistic charts pondering which revolver would be best to use on the local town marshall?

I think there is some woodsmanship involved in making do with one caliber. That is my point of pride, if I have one on this issue, not somelame love affair with a given rifle caliber.