I think for general hunting the combination of a soft and a solid is a good idea. Of course, if it is elephant hunting it would be only solids. From my limited experience, even solids have crappy penetration. Softs would just be asking for big trouble.

The discussion around whether it should be a double or a magazine rifle will go on as long as there is DG hunting.

Most tourist hunters and PH's get by without ever experiencing a charge and most that do get away unscathed. One of the saving graces is that there is more than one hunter on the scene (same applies to the culls where there is a LOT of support). If a hunter was always by himself there would be more getting crunched every year.

It is one thing for the tourist hunter to say what he would do in a charge and quite another to see his/her reaction during the charge. It is difficult for the tourist hunter (like me) to be totally confident when only being on the scene of a potentially dangerous situation for only a week or two a year.

I can tell you it is one spooky experience.