BJ I won't argue the point of shooting enough gun for the task, however there are those who can not shoot every gun comfortably under the sun for one reason or another. I am one of these guys after 3 shoulder operations and waking up most mornings with no feeling in my left hand, I simply can no longer do things stupidily. I used to use a 300 wby for big game (moose/elk) but after a range session and 2 days of needing help to tie up my shoes...it wasn't a very solid choice for me PERSONALLY to keep using that gun. Hey I am a man who can admit I am beat and wished to god when the coach said just use the needle to get through the period I would have said screw off! I will pay for my years of ignorance and one of the prices is loss of ability to handle big jars to my shooting shoulder. Any hew, I went back to using a 270 and limited myself to mostly deer hunting...I did use this gun on a elk and a few moose hunts but limited my shot choices and distances. After my last surgery I started to recondition myself and have moved up to a 7mm Rem mag for my all around big game rifle..right now I can handle this gun very effeciently in practice and in the field. Hey who knows in a few years i may be able to go higher but after shooting a 300 RUM this fall for a 5 shot groups I know that isn't anytime soon, so I have reserved myself to the 7 rem mag for the time being and being proficient with it as possible. I would think my ability to shoot a 7 rem mag accurately both in practice and under field conditions would be a better choice then something bigger and not being able to handle the gun, wouldn't you agree??? Then again maybe I am not man enough to hunt your neck of the woods!!! Fine by me, I can handle my woods just fine and really could give 2 sh@ts what others think!! Hunting is all about personal experiences, standards, goals and abilities. I have always adhered to what I have in abilities and limitations, which IMHO is far better then a big bang...but it is all a matter of opinion. You have yours and I have mine