Spotting hits, which is easier with the smaller rounds does have some value, to me at least. There have been times I have hit deer with standard .270/.308/.300 rounds, which during recoil I couldn't confirm the deer's reaction to the shot: if it went down immediately, if it turned around and ran the way it came from, etc. This is generally only an issue in tight cover, but it has been an issue for me before.
That is one of many advantages to using smaller rounds. It isn't all just about girly men not being able to tolerate that dreaded .270 Win recoil. That is a non issue that many anti .22 CF people seem to think is. I will say though, that to be proficient at 500+ yards I have had to put a lot of rounds downrange, to which standard deer rifle recoil and round cost has caused me to go smaller.
Well said, this reflects my evolution as a hunter/shooter perfectly.
mike r
With a 7-8 lb rifle, shooting a .223 offhand loaded with 60 grain projectiles or more, you loose your sight picture during recoil. If they are any reasonable distance away, by the time you regain your sight picture, you are usually not going to see the entrance hole especially if its very small. You will see the reaction just as much after you regain your sight picture with a medium size cartridge as a small one.
I cannot speak for T Inman, but something else that everyone in my shooting circles who has also migrated to "smaller" chamberings has done is added muzzle brakes or suppressors to our firearms. This allows us to stay on target through the shot due to recoil being significantly lowered. Again, it has nothing to do with us not being able to tolerate recoil, it has everything to do with being precision shooters, which takes a lot of practice.
I predominately use 6.5 Grendel, 7TCU, or 6X45 for all of my whitetail rifle hunting. With my set-ups, I can watch the impact on the animal and gauge its reaction through the scope.
