My entire life of hunting shots on big game probably doesn't equal one of WC's more active year's worth, but I have had a different net experience. The only whitetail I ever had run on me was a large 8-pointer I shot too high, double lunging him with a 30-30. He ran about 100 yards total and thanks to snow, I was able to spot the blood spray and follow him to where he gave it up. Without the snow, I would have lost the biggest deer I've ever shot. That's the exception. All the other deer, shot with a 300 Win Mag loaded down to 30-06, or an actual 30-06, or a 308, either dropped, or staggered such a short distance, that when I walked to where they stood when I shot them, I could see them where they fell in the woods. Also, the other deer I shot with a 30-30, through the shoulder and heart, bowled over sideways where he was shot. Using centerfire 30 calibers does not equal only a wounded deer which disappears, nor have I ever shot a deer twice in my entire life. I was tempted once as one tried to crawl off, but I waited a few minutes and it died 20 yards from where I shot it. Then again, I've watched what a lot of folks would have shot at, bound away rather than take a low odds shot, which the 450b might have gotten away with.
The 450b has the potential to anchor even the mightiest whitetail in my state and we grow them big, but so will many other calibers. I did not say Elk, Moose, Bighorns, Grizzly Bear, etc. I do not have the opportunity to affordably hunt them where I live or the deep pockets to travel to where I can and pay to do so. So my mission is a narrow one. My situation is a woods based, close in one. Despite the appeal, I pray the severe winters will preclude hogs ever taking hold here, because frankly, the damage they do is not a good trade-off for the pleasure of hunting them. It is not a win-win. Time will tell.
You don't need to kick any .452 bullet all that hard to make it a lethal tool. Obviously, from a technical perspective, it is appealing to work them as high as safely possible and as accurate as possible to justify the effort. That's just the scientist in me.
I left off on the 300 DC and 1680 with only just having scratched the performance surface at 41gr of charge. Even QL laughed at this anemic loading, but it was a new scenario and I approached it with the same respect as any other new load. Unfortunately, the donated rounds ran out before I could follow it to the end. At the point where I left off, I was not impressed with either the bullet or the powder's performance. The bullet needed more RPM and the powder left me wondering if I could get there. However, that allows me to skip that part of the workup when I continue.
Despite most members not having one, I will in all likelihood run these 25 with a modified Lee FCD stab crimp. In order to get as much charge into the case, I was considering going with the bullet loaded to 2.26. I'm not happy that at that COL, there is only .18 insertion depth, so I may have no choice other than to go with a shorter COL to get an insertion depth that affords adequate coaxiality and retention regardless of which crimp I use.
For my personal hunting mission, I was finished with 300gr bullets last summer. I don't hunt trees or shoot multiple deer with a single round. I am not working up an anti-material war round either. Once finished with these 25, I'm finished with 300 grainers. If it won't drop with the TKO afforded by a 200 grainer traveling nearly 2500fps, I won't be hunting it. Besides a 200 grainer traveling 2500fps only gives up a few digits of TKO to the 300 grainer traveling 2000fps. Both eclipse the 30-06 pushing a 165gr at 2800fps and that has served me well for the big game I hunt.
I reserve the right to change my mind and wander down the heavyweight bullet alley again, but in all honesty, I can't say why, short of the love for learning something new, regardless of whether I have a mission for it. What can I say? I'm fickle.
Hoot