just to be clear I wasn't saying , a larger caliber can make a BAD shoot good, I was just saying, some times a larger caliber can lead to a recovered animal from some added damage they can do, shoudl something go wrong and YET still be close to a vital!
where as a very small caliber, that is off or hits a larger bone, might be a lost animal!
I have seen deer shot with all sorts of calibers from .22's up to a 50 BMG and RUN over a 200 yards, some still might be running, and also seen some drop in there tracks too, ., shot placement will always be the factor in killing.
but there is some IMO< added benefit to a slightly larger caliber, than a slightly;y smaller one, as long as one can shoot it well!
I too have trained and instructed and done a lot of range work over the yrs, and I have seen a lot of shooters to know, how many shoot WELL or NOT!, caliber, some times was maybe the issue, but shooting basic's was also a huge missing piece to the bad shouters, not over sized calibers that scared them or made them flinch!
yes it happens for sure, no doubt.
Poor trigger control is a huge factor in ore bad shooters than anything, next will be form, lack of actually knowing HOW to hold a rifle, and don't laugh, many don't know how to properly do so! or have a rifle that FITS them well period.
that was always something I never got, in rifles, how, so many will LIVE with what ever stock is on a rifle, but yet so many shotgun shooters will spend more time getting a gun that fits them! To see the benefits of a well fitting gun can have for them!
Guess its due to shotgunner's are more likely to shoot way more rounds off, and thus, want a more comfortable gun, on the sporting clays/trap/skeet ranges!
best advice is use a decent killing caliber and learn how to shoot it well, know your limits and stick to them!