BUT, with the exception of Bob's comment, nobody has addressed my query of yesterday, WHERE is/are cutoffs for actual power increases in hunting cartridges?
So, again, what do you and others think is the point(s) where a genuine increase in gsme dropping/killing power exists?
Likely the reason nobody has addressed it seriously is because it's essentially impossible to quantify. Which game are you talking about? Elephants, Orangutangs?
If we're talking elk, I've had "drop in their tracks" kills that are not spine shots with only two cartridges, the 300 WSM with a 180 NP at 2,950 and a 338 WM with a 210 NP at 2,950. Both shots were between 50 and 70 yards, broadside, and through the scapula/lungs. But neither were bigger than 5pt's.
Apart from those two I'd say all the kills were indstinguishable form one another, from the 270/7-08 to the 300/338's.
It would take a lot more observation of elk kills than I have under my belt to detect a pattern. I've killed 17 elk and have watched at least another 20 die, but that's hardly a record to be too dogmatic. And there's a fair difference between an average cow and a 10 year old bull.
I believe there's an observable difference in how elk react to the hit with NP type bullets above 160 grains and over 2,900 fps. Even then, animals are all individuals and will react differently.
A good bullet in the lungs disrupts life and results in a dead animal. All shot in the same spot will die within 5 or 10 seconds of each other no matter the cartridge.
I think what is really needed is a controlled-expansion bullet that will penetrate deeply. And I think a frangible front core like the Partition makes a difference. All those little shards creating a shrapnel effect in the lungs means something to a quicker death. I'm happy to hunt with the 257 Rob/115 NP and up. Yes, even in grizzly country.
Grizzlies, well, this is a genuine concern here in BC, a region that, with Alaska and the Kamchatka area of Russia, has the largest number and densest population of these bears anywhere. Grizzly issues are a REAL problem here for hunters and one which, IMO, should be a consideration when choosing an Elk cartridge.
All my elk hunting is in grizzly country. I cut their tracks, and run into them occasionally. I don't let that dictate what rifle I pack.
Carry bear spray, it's more effective than a rifle anyway. If you really want a "stopping rifle" you should be packing a 375H&H or bigger IMO. And who the heck wants to pack that?
A friend of mine hunts blacktails on Kodiak yearly and has always packed a 280 Rem.
