If I am correct the idea of short fat cartridges evolved from the bench rest shooting folks. In that game they will pay top dollar for a slight improvement or advantage so there must be some slight gain, not sure how much, what, or why. I sit watching and hope my beloved 270 Win never goes away but on the same note I don't hold a grudge toward the 270 WSM even if the performance gain is marginal. If nothing else this marketing hype has convinced more people to buy new rifles and ammo helping the entire shooting community. Good, bad, take it at face value and do what you like with it. No sense in getting defensive about your favorite cartridge and attempt to shoot down the new one. Some folks may not like the price of the WSSM rifle (more $ than standard calibers right now) and the ammo. Or they may not like the short subby little guy and opt for the traditional caliber. Don't get me wrong I like the 25-06 and own one, but it is not the most popular selling cartridge out there. This may draw attention to the caliber and help preserve the origional. I can also see the advantage of chambering the WSSM's in an AR based action with some modification, then maybe we would have something.