BR:
I have been in the magnum camp and now, for various reasons I am not. When I made the gradual switch from my magnums, (primarily 300 wby & 7mm RM) I did not notice that stuff got any "less dead" I also did not notice that it got dead noticeably slower. I did notice that the milder calibers were easier and more pleasant to shoot a lot and to shoot well. They were therefore more conducive to extensive practice.
Occasionally, you hear the anecdote about the long range deer/elk/bear/woozel that didn't drop right now to an '06 hit but did to a 300 mag hit. Those stories could have very easily been reversed. The things that makes a critter flop as opposed to running a bit (delayed flop) are mostly related to exactly where and from what angle the animal was hit, the bullet performance, the animals circumstances at the moment, and other mysterious intangibles. To assume that the circumstances surrounding two instances are identical is never wise. The two hunters with the most experience on this board (M.D. and JJ Hack) do not generally tout magnum cartridges as a major (or even minor) advantage. (read JJ's experience with the '06 on literally hundreds of animals including BIG african plains game)
As far as the trajectory difference, I view it this way. I have accepted the cold hard realization that I can't always reliably judge range beyond 300 yds. Actually, in strange country, that might even be a stretch as there are just so many variables (size of target, how much of it you can see, time of day, angle of the sun, how bright the light, etc. etc.) For me, any cartridge that gets a good bullet to a PBR of 250-300 means that I can hold dead on out to the limit of my estimation capabilities. Any shot farther than that requires some planning, a careful rest, and consideration of the bullet path. That means I want to range it so that I know exactly how far it is and what the effect on my trajectory is. It makes no difference then whether I have to correct for the larger or smaller drop, it takes (me) the same time.
This may be hard for some to believe, but I have nothing against magnums per se (remember, I hunted with them for many years). I do however, have a problem when someone is guided toward a magnum purchase by anecdotes that suggest that a std caliber cannot do the job as well. The magnum may be OK for that shooter but it may also be more gun that he can really handle well. It may also saddle them with more weight and bulk than they really want to carry in the steepest gnarliest terrain. I do feel that for dangerous game, at close ranges, a larger diameter bullet than .30 cal. offers more advantage than a faster .30 cal.
Popcorn???......................... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
JimF
