"I have seen that the magnums can make up for a poorly placed shot."
:)Not to offend anyone but that is one of the stupidest statements I have read on this board.
Carl
None taken

I don't think I worded that very well.
I have just seen cases where an animal has dropped that I believe would have ran if it was shot with a "smaller" caliber.
As an example: Last year I shot my first elk, it was a 3x3 that I shot at just over 400 yards. I shot it with a 30-378 weatherby mag. The bull was quartering away and the shot angle that I had was very tight. I shot just a little farther back then I wanted to and hit the back quarter. The bullet went through the hip bone and all the way through the lungs and through a rib then stopped just inside the hide.
The bull went down within 5 yards and didn't move.
I think that If I would have been shooting 30-06 or something like that it could have been a long night of tracking.
I'm not trying to say that shooting a big magnum gives a hunter the right to take unethical shots. I was just trying to say that if you make a mistake and don't hit right where you want to it can help to kill the animal faster.