Bocajnala , you bring up a point that very few hunters will even admit, its also been my observation, that guys are under the obviously erroneous assumption that ,
if they can shoot 1" bench rest groups at 100 yards consistently they will shoot similar groups under field conditions,
most guys can,t accurately judge ranges, or shoot worth a damn at ranges past about 150-200 yards.
its the skill and confidence and experience of the guy using the rifle that tends to mater more than the rifle or caliber selected, in many cases.
yet you can,t easily ignore physics, and a fairly heavy projectile moving at moderate of reasonably high velocity can retain it inertia and impact energy to rather long distances, far better than a smaller and lighter mass, and ballistic drag, with a decent sectional density and ballistic shape at a similar velocity.
If I hunt dark timber, a rifle that will consistently shoot 1.5" bench rested groups , but one your very adept at using that will regularly shoot 3" groups from a sitting position, at 100 yards
is a damn good choice as youll seldom be forced to shoot that far. my 375 H&H sako has been very consistent and lethal, but still hunting thick timber jumping game seldom requires shots
over 70 yards in my experience
if your going to watch a meadow or search rim rock, you benefit from having more accuracy potential.
the truth is without a sling and bi-pod on your rifle of choice groups shot under field conditions tend to be significantly larger and inconsistent.
I have for decades taken a ton of verbal jibs from guys I hunt with over the rifle I carry frequently, as it heavy and I use a bi-pod
years ago I saw a game department survey made where they asked hundreds of hunters at a western BLM check point, to look out at 5 different colored flags placed at random but carefully measured distances and write down what each person estimated the distance too be from the check point,
they were handed a pen and a survey card, they were told NONE of the colored flags were at an even 100 yard multiple but that was the only info , each flag was a different, color, placed in a
different direction and at a different distance.
the survey taker pointed out each colored flag and asked them to write down their estimated range!
they tabulated the actual hunters field estimates being made on the spot, vs the carefully measure actual distances.
.
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the results were about what Id have expected..after decades of listening to guys claim they killed deer & elk at 400 and 500 and 600 yards.......
the vast majority were very VERY bad at estimating distances correctly past about 150 yards, some estimates that were over 70% wrong were not uncommon
the funny part is that most of the guys Ive hunted with eventually see the wisdom in my choices, especially once they see how selecting the correct tool for the job at hand
makes the job so much easier.
if you want to make some cash put a full coke can laying, end on on a stump ,
back off 100 yards and bet your buddies $10 that they can,t hit the can on the first shot shooting off hand
youll win that bet far more frequently than youll be forced too pay out cash