Let's get the record straight. I am no 16 year old on his mamma's computer.

I have less big game experience than most on this board. To hunt big game requires money, and I have worked my ass off for most of my almost 50 years to get to the point to where I could hunt because I liked it rather than hunting for a damn piece of meat.

My background is US military. And yes, I do the equations and charts before I buy or hunt with any caliber. I suppose it is just force of habit.

Regarding the 416 Weatherby, it is one hellacious shooting machine on paper. But in practice, e.g. in the field, it is a long distance rifle.

No, I do not hang my jewels out there before I take a weapon into the field. Field experience is great, but I have been trained to make sure that the weapon at hand is just right for the job.

Which led to my comments on overkill. I have hunted most North American game, with the exception of elk, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the 416 was fit for that job.

Again, it has taken most of my life to be in a position where I could actually consider an elk hunt or a trip to Africa. The brown bear hunt was a gift.

So, to be in this position and to be dismissed as some 16 year old or some whack touting the virtues of a ballistics program is really intolerable.

I did go overboard on the 416 Weatherby. I do not like it. And I certainly did not have the experience hunting as most on this board claim to have with the 416.

I am new to this board, and I thought this was one hell of a nice place to exchange information.

I will not belabor how we did things in the military, only to say that you did it all on paper before you went to the field. People's opinions did not matter. Lives were at stake depending on your conclusion, not the conclusion of some friend who made a 3000 yard shot with a 22.

Please excuse me if I went overboard. I was brought up in the old school - a kill with a smaller caliber means more meat.

The true old timers used to take elk and deer with a neck shot - why? - to get the most meat.

I am open to new ideas, and I truly believe I expressed that here. The greatest disappointment was the conedescending response with no attempts to contact me directly via PM or to question my conclusions in anything but a mocking forum.

If you have a disagreement with me, or disagree with a conclusion I have drawn or an opinion I have reached, you are always free to PM me.

Most on this board have had access to more money than I would have thought possible growing up. I came to this board to draw on experience and to hopefully join a community with a common goal.