Steve:
Top of the morning to you sir, I hope that the first Sunday in the 6th month of 2019 is as bright and clear in your part of our grand land as it is here.
It is, in my view anyway, an interesting question which you've posed and certainly one I've given a lot of thought to over the years.
Although in some ways forums have changed how I gather information on a subject in that I used to buy books and/or seek out folks who I thought would be able to help solve the riddle I was dealing with, nowadays I will also plumb the depths of some forums to see what I can learn.
From the onset of my personal participation, I've attempted to articulate why I take a particular position or offer the background which supports my conclusion. Whenever possible I'd put up some photos if possible as well, though with the ongoing debacle at photobucket and my inability to consistently make the 'Fire photo application work smoothly, that's less simple now.
For the most part I would suggest that the forums mirror my life experience, where a couple of my shooting mentors were disciples of Jack O'Connor and fervently believed that game taking devices began and ended with pre-64 Model 70's, chambered in .270 Winchester and shooting 150gr Sierra Boat Tails. The 130gr Sierra was of course okay Steve, but any idiot could see it blew up too much meat!
Since I was a heretic in that group, my family shooting a variety of .308" diameter cartridges and a 6.5x55, it got pretty sporty around the coffee table sometimes. One particular time I announced that I had to go home quickly and check the freezer to ensure the deer packages didn't rise from the dead since they'd been killed with a .308 Winchester - which was absolutely hated by the group - and a .30-06 which was grudgingly tolerated, but barely.
Anyway Steve, this cyber 'Fire isn't much different in many, many ways. There's the crew who've decided they've found the one, true path and there's the experimenters who are still looking for something "a wee bit better".
The trick of course on any forum, is to figure out who is in which camp and then further of course to ascertain how it is they've come to the conclusion they're presenting.
In life often, I'll say to someone - "the evidence doesn't support your current thesis"..
All the best to you as we head into the second half of the year Steve.
Dwayne
