I think shot placement has nothing to do with caliber. If one talks about caliber well then it is not shot placement.
Let's say shot placement will be the same with calibre x, y or z. Then the better calibre for purpose will shorten
the time till death on the particular game animal. Big can of worms, because of course many calibres or cartridges
will be very similar at the end....and we have to draw the line somehwere.
None of us would send a bunch of greenhorns into the forest armed with 22lr's ...saying it's all about shot placement,
because it isn't.
With modern lightweight sound moderators just about anybody can shoot a 308, 270 or 30-06 which are
generally accepted on deer in Europe or most parts of the world.
edi
EDI you are making my point for me. caliber just isnt that important as long as the caliber is up to the job of dispatching the animal. Accuracy of the individual is a lot more important.
.243, .250, .260, .270, .280, .308 etc...etc...etc... will all kill a deer and be legal at doing it and the recoil with modern mods will be similar as long as you don't start talking about Ultra Mags and the like.
But, all will maim too if the nut behind the but cannot shoot straight.
Get the nut trained to shoot bug holes groups with his favoured deer caliber and you've cracked it.
To suggest 1 caliber is a better caliber to dispatch an animal is nonsense really.
There are a other factors that have a bigger bearing on the effective dispatch of an animal with a rifle;
eg,
1, Type of ammo
(Whats best hollow points, accubonds, partitioners???)
2, Weight of ammo
( Whats best 140grain 6.5x55 or 125grain .308 ??? )
3, Accuracy of the shot
(Does he hit the heart and lungs he is aiming for or does the wind make it a gut shot ???)
4, What part of the body the shooter is aiming for
(Does he aim for the spine shot, head or heart)
5, The ft/lb energy at the range of impact
(Whats best 1500ft/lb from .308 or 1750ft/lb from .243 ??? )
6, Does the bullet exit
(Does the bullet pass through the heart and lung causing heavy blood loss and instant shock and death or does the bullet get stopped by heavy bone leaving animal to run a short way and collapse???)
I would suggest all of the above are at least as important factors in deciding how effective at dispatching an animal a rifle is.
If you hit a deer in the ass with a .50cal it will not die as quickly/humanely as a .243 with a direct heart and lung shot.
Caliber is just 1 of many variables that affect the effectiveness of a bullet to kill a target animal.
The caliber is more about fashion in my opinion.