Preferences on guns, cartridges are more based on what has worked and what has not worked for a person.
I prefer '06 for big game. But have successfully shot deer with cartridges small as 22-250. Part of the problem with aging is that a person has used a few poor bullets not suitable for game. I've used bullets that went through game animals that did very little damage and took several well placed bullets to drop an animal. Not enjoying seeing an animal suffer nor wanting to track an animal with little or no blood trail and doing so makes one predjudiced against bullets mostly. Similarly, seeing bullets "explode" on entry blowing huge holes, destroying excess meat or not reaching vitals and watching a gravely wounded animal limp and suffer will cause one to become predjudiced.
I maintain that people are predjudiced for reasons.
I won't list the cartridge/bullet combinations that have not worked for me, but I will say that bullets traveling at less than 2900 fps, bullets that penetrate through the animal, bullets that expand we'll have an attraction to me for the "best" category.
This last hunting season, I used a 25-06 which killed the deer like lightning (I liked that) but caused too much damage on one deer because of a bone hit on entry made me think that if I use the 25-06 again I'll use a heavier bullet, with a heavier jacket.
The rancher, whose land I hunt on, never used anything but an early savage 340, I think, in 222 factory loads and an antique 3/4" scope. His deer rarely if ever required a second shot. He never shot a deer other than off-hand.
His preference is different than mine. But I hope that he doesn't look down on me as I often bring a different rifle, scope, bullet, load combination for deer.
But I still like the old 06 the best. Maybe it's cause of the Springfields dad bought in the late 40's and early 50's that had a lasting impression on me. And only once with a poor bullet selection did the 06 not work perfectly.
