I’ve never seen where a larger cartridge made up for poor shooting. I once saw an elk badly hit with the 338 WM run off only to be collected by someone with a 270. I’ve seen far more animals lost due to poor shooting with large cartridges than the reverse.
I’ve seen a number of mostly-young people make bad shots with a .223 on up. I have never seen anyone who noticed recoil when firing at game or even at water bottles outside. If someone missed with a .338 or whatever, they likely were just not good hunters and/or unpracticed with their gun. An anti-recoil shoulder pad and added weight at the range, such as a hefty bipod, makes shooting something like a 338 for an average-sized man nothing uncomfortable. In the field, no one I've ever met even noticed. My 16-yr-old son shoots my 7mm Wby and 300WM with deadly accuracy at the range. Sometimes, he says his shoulder is feeling it after about 30 rounds. When shooting at my friend's farm, he says he can't feel it at all. If someone's missing badly with a .338, I think they're just not good with a gun.
