This has been very interesting reading so I'll add my 2 cents, bear in mind it's worth what you pay for it:). You don't need stopping power for any North American animal except for the big bears. I have taken black bears with a 280 and dead is dead, a Brown bear fell to a well placed 250gr NPT from a 338 but I paid the insurance anyway. My definition of "stopping power" is to halt or turn the forward motion of a dangerous animal to provide enough time for either the client or guide/PH to get in a more well placed shot. On a trip to Africa I took two rifles a 7X57AI and a 416 Taylor. It just so happened I used the Taylor for just about everything from Warthog to Buff. The Buff took a 400gr A frame angling forward from just behind the last rib into the off shoulder area. It took out the vast majority of the lungs and the shoulder. It stopped him and a second shot put him down so fast there wasn't even a death bellow.
At the end of the day do you need a 500NE to hunt dangerous game? Probably not but IF I can shoot my 416 just as accurately as an 06 I'll take the 416. There is a reason the professionals carry big guns and it's because they need them to clean up someone's mess. It's better to have the biggest gun you can use and not need it than to need it and not have it.
