Indeed they are but you can't convince some people until they get their backside singed a few times. And few will be man enough to come on here and publically admit that they lost a deer due to poor bullet performance from one of these varmit rounds.

I agree, I live in lower Alabama and I have said many times that people don't really need a 300 magnum or any magnum for whitetails. However if they can shoot one of these ubermagnums accurately there is little doubt that they will consistently inflict terminal wounds on whitetails. Overkill wounds maybe but consistently terminal. The fact that some people cannot shoot their new ubermagnum accurately is their fault not the guns.

I have also been a defender of the 243 when used with a good 100 grain bullet but as others have said I firmly believe it is the minimun ethical caliber to use on whitetails. Just because you or someone you know has done something a few times and it worked out okay doesn't necessarily make it a smart thing to do. You have an 83 percent chance of surviving a round of Russian Roulette. 5 empty chambers to 1 loaded but that doesn't make it a smart game to play.