If you are a meat hunter there is such thing as "too much gun" though that usualy has a little less to do with the caliber and more to do with the bullets speed. Ever hit a deer through the shoulders with a 7mm Rem Mag 140gr 3,300fps at close range? You can forget about eating any part of those shoulders that is for sure. I started hunting with more practicle cartrages several years ago and won't touch another hot magnum unless I am shooting WAY out there. 308, 7-08 6.5x55 SE, 30-30, 7x57 will kill them just as dead just as quick with proper shot placement, my friends hunt with larger calibers and magnum, and we track many a deer they shot, mine never make it more then a few feet. Of course I have passed on several shots last year when they did not persent a good angle, just picky like that. But what makes more difference then caliber is the deers mental state, if you spook one before you shoot him he gets a chance to get his adrenaline pumping, once that happens it does not matter if you hit him with a 22-250 or a 416 Rigby he is going to run, I have seen them run with their heat and lungs turned to liquid, it does not matter, the brain still works for a few seconds. Shoot them without spooking them they are much more likely to go streight down.