RE: over analyzing caliber
Your all on the money. There is a reason I hunt mostly with my trusty old .308.....because it works and so far everything I've hit with it goes down.
But I like to toy around a little and thats why I just picked up a Remington SPS in 270WSM. There is a place where I hunt that big whitetails grow and most of the shots are on the longer side, 200 yrds and up. Over crop fields hidden in blinds and hides is how we hunt them. Now my 308 killed one just fine last year at 250yrds and I'm sure the deer wouldn't know the difference if I hit him with the 270WSM, but I like to collect things and play around with loads so I picked up one of them new fangled things to give it a try.
Its all about having choices.[:-]