ORIGINAL: Canadian Bush Wacker
My bud has one, you can put you fist through the ribs after the shot, just nasty gun at 200 to 500 yards.
I have shot many deer with .270 using 130 grain failsafe. I get about a 1 inch hole every time. But my last doe - hole the size of a fist. I think I hit her shoulder and it blew bone through her ribs. So I don't think your bud's fist size holes are necessarily due to the caliber.
BTW .270 is enough gun for me, but I don't think that makes 7mm mag "too much gun". I'm with North Texan on this one.