WOW!!!! DG I am impressed and I'm not saying that sarcastically. If you have been huntin everything from squirrel to moose for 35+ and nothing has ever gone more than 20 yds from where you shot it(the only one that got out of it tracks)then I would say you genuinely would not benefit from anything bigger than a 270. I'll be straight in telling you even with a mag I find myself tracking a wounded animal once in a while, I guess they made those guns for guys like me. I've heard of guys that only take one shell in the field cause they say you should be a good enough marksman to hit it with one shot. Unfortunately I'm not an expert. If you shoot that straight with a rifle then you definitely shouldn't take advice from me, cause I'm decent but I miss my mark once in a while and I would except any shooting tips you would be willing to share. But I'll be honest I don't personally know anyone that can shoot that well and thats where I got my opinions from. Thanks for sharing your opinions, its made me think a little.