[Kurt505]

Originally Posted by hogie

All bullets drop, all bullets are affected by wind. Some more than others. One thing I've realized over the last little while is paper ballistics of what a cartridge can and can't do don't mean much. You can give me the best ballistic 6.5mm out there and I could still miss a deer.

If a person doesn't get out and practise, get to know how a rifle performs, figure out real world bullet drops by actually shooting at those distances. Shooting in different conditions, learning to estimate distance and wind. All of these I think will make more of a difference than calibers.

As far as recoil goes, that all depends on the rifle. I've shot some 300win mags that a good recoil pad and stock design make it reasonable. I really couldn't tell much difference between the 708 that I started hunting with to the 308 that I shoot now. My brother said it best, " when you have a critter in your sights you're not thinking about recoil"

All good points.

I tend to shoot a rifle more if it burns less powder and has less recoil. Cheaper to run and more fun.