Hi bigcountry,
I hope you don't take any of this wrong.....because it is certainly not meant as challenging anything you've said. I don't "worship at anyone's alter"! But I do find most of Jeff Cooper's commentaries illuminating.....and I seem to be finding the older I get.....the more I like them.
But maybe there is a difference in not just the years of experience....but the actual experience. I respect the things Cooper has been credited with...and the places he has done them. He has not only had "hands on experience" in combat....but has taken much of the world's "truly heavy and or dangerous game". Certainly much more experience in either than I have! And I don't agree with everything he says......but usually I defer to his experience, (at least in the consideration of what he has said)!
Much of my experience has been on different "deer species" in North America or Europe. And I have some considerably less experience on other species of big game around the world. And the true heavy's, elephant, rhino, etc........I have none! Part of the difference in his views may emanate because of his actual experiences!
In my experience smaller animals, like whitetail deer,
tend to be more susceptible to shock from bullet trauma then are larger animals. (Unless the size of the bullet is proportionally increased to match the size of the game.) And of course, if we are shooting an animal that is ten times heavier than a deer.....it is not feasable for us to use a bullet that is ten times bigger/heavier than the one used for deer......and still maintain equal velocity, (even five or six times in size difference.....it is nearly not possible). Not in a "shoulder fired" weapon at any rate. And the bigger the animal....the more penetration will become an issue. And the less likely we will be to overcome the animal with outright bullet shock.
Slow projectiles create less tissue trauma around the bullet wound, and have less of an immediate effect.....unless the central nervous system is shut down. And even though a slow projectile of reasonable size punched through both lungs will kill slower.....than a faster projectile if all other things are equal......it will eventually kill. As a group hunters lack many of the outdoor skills of our predecessors, one of those skills being tracking. And it does become more problematic recovering wounded game....the further it gets out of our sight. And as a result of that, (and increased number of unethical hunters waiting to tag a deer "we" shot), we like our deer on the ground "fast". Which is not a bad thing. But the bigger the game.....the more important penetration becomes. Those big, slow, projectiles do kill....and kill certainly, but they seldom kill quickly!
I think Jeff Cooper is most likely a person that is reflected as "the sum of his experiences".........as are most of us! He just has a "platform" and tends to be "vocal" about it. Old curmudgeons tend to be like that!
Dave