I think that you may be mischaracterizing people who don't think that magnums are the right or necessary tool for every job as "haters." I dislike the very term "hater," because it's so often used to label and shut down anyone who disagrees with another's point-of-view (think homosexual "marriage"). If you don't agree with it, you're labeled a "hater" which dismisses your viewpoint from any further discussion or consideration... but I digress.

I'm of the mindset that too many people choose a magnum for all the wrong reasons. They buy one for bragging rights, they buy one because bigger MUST be better, or they buy one to compensate for pi$$-poor marksmanship skills thinking that the mag will kill the deer lightning-strike dead no matter how they hit it. I also think that many have this mindset that the old standards just can't cleanly kill a deer anymore. An opinion that has been well nurtured by gun and ammo makers who want to set the next big trend, and the gun writer "experts" that fawn over every super-duper blast-o-matic that the gun makers send them for their glowing reviews. I've also heard a lot of guys justify the magnum by pointing to the possibility, however remote, that they might go out west one day. My view is that, unless you have the trip planned and the money to spend, don't buy a bigger than necessary cartridge based on what you might do years from now, but rather pick the right tool for the hunting you're going to do the most of right now. If the opportunity presents itself in the future to book a $5-10K hunt for mixed big game in Utah or Alaska, chances are you'll have the cash to get the bigger rifle such hunting may call for.

Now, as I've said before and I'll say again. Magnums have their place. If you have a genuine need for the extra power and velocity, and you're willing to put the effort into developing your ability to shoot one well, which is a tougher task more prone to bad habits than with a lighter cartridge, then more power to you. But for me, I have no need for such power. My .30-06 will do all I need it to on anything I can forsee myself hunting in the future. I was once bitten by the magnumbitis bug, and I've owned everything up to a 300WSM and 7mm STW. But as I've been getting older, and hopefully a little wiser, I realized that I had no need for that much firepower, nor did I enjoy spending time at the range with them. Since I've been moving back down the firepower spectrum, because I also want to enjoy shooting my rifles beyond the few shots I might take in the woods at game every year.

Mike