Starting big and downloading always works...I do it all the time...fit the bullet and velocity to the game. I like to eat right up to the hole and as cheap as a nickel cigar, so no use in wasting meat or money.
Not a whole lot of difference between .358, .366 or .375... literally "splitting hairs". You can get 100 fs difference between a "loose" barrel and a "tight" barrel in the same caliber using the same load.
Anyone doing any work in this sport for any length of time has lots of stories and "yes...But's" to cover all the nitpicking. In the real world once you pull the trigger it's all over but the shouting anyway...the animal didn't read the fine print, doesn't care a spit over a few feet per second and you do your job or have a red face and start blaming everything but the shooter. Dance with who you brung and enjoy the pleasures.
I think too many get all worked up over the miniscule things and forget the big picture.
I kept the meat locker full using a 22 LR for a lot of years...today I sometime wonder what the he** I'm doing carting around some cannon when a 223 with the right bullet will do the chores for deer/pronghorn at the ranges I usually shoot them...and my 250 Sav AI will handle all but the very biggest animals here in the US of A.
And I'm really scratching my head with building a 0.510 Rigby, having no desire to shoot anything bigger than a deer anyway...go figure????
