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I have seen deer drop without taking another step when shot with .243, 6mm. Rem., .308, .30-30, .30-06 .300 Win. and .338 Win. I have also seen deer take varying numbers of steps after the shot with all those rounds. As a generalization, more power often produces fewer tracks after the shot, but...........
Just this season my partner shot a good buck three times through the chest at about 200 yards with 165 grain handloaded Ballistic Tips from a .30-06 on a bipod. For the first two shots it just stood there, not even a flinch. It did look in his direction once. If we hadn't heard the hits he would have thought he missed. It took a couple of walking steps after the second round and stopped. After the third, it took one step and fell to never move again. All three were in a 4 inch group through and through the chest cavity. Any one would have been fatal. A few seconds elapsed between shots waiting for the buck to realize he was dead before deciding to just shoot it again, so the whole thing took probably 30 seconds. It defies logic.
Anyone who says he knows what will happen when he shoots a particular round at big game is plainly inexperienced. There are too many variables. Nothing will drop an animal instantly every time; almost everything will do so when all the conditions are right.
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