Pharmseller
WKR
Basic Physics is the answer. Energy = Mass x Velocity squared. A heavier bullet going faster imparts more energy to the target. It actually can make an ass shot a killer by shattering a hip bone, Accurate rangefinders & dialing scopes make pedestrian Creedmoors & 308’s as or more accurate than a big 7 or 300 magnum so the need for flatter trajectories is less. But the power & penetration of a heavy mono can’t be duplicated by 243 class rifles.
The most impressive kills are certainly frangible bullets at high speeds hitting vitals. Deer aren’t that hard to kill & average placement with frangible bullets anchors them immediately most of the time. When I loaded my 7mm RM with Nosler Ballistic tips 30 years ago they performed like magic vs corelokts.
Elk are a different story in terms of shot distance and size as well as vitality. Unless you head shoot them bang flops aren’t common, particularly with smaller bullets. Even neck shots leave a struggling to get up elk on the ground. They aren’t bulletproof but are much tougher than deer. I moved from frangible 7mm 150 at 3050 to 300 Weatherby 180 at 3150 with monos to get more reliable stopping power with similar trajectory.
A bonus with that solid copper is the lack of lead in the meat. For a hunter like me who loves elk burger that is a nice side benefit. High speed lead fragmentation film convinced me that it is a real issue.
I disagree with your conclusion.
The basis of my disagreement comes from experience, primarily with elk.
P