I was over at at the deer hunting section at www.huntinfo.com where a fellow was asking about the 7mmstw.Another fellow replied that he should forget the 7mmstw as the 7mmultramag was vastly superior in every way.He replied that with a 300 yard zero for both there would be a 10" to 12" difference in trajectory at 500 yards in favor of the ultramag.I replied that I own both cartridges and only find about 50 fps difference in velocity between the two and about 1" difference in trajectory at 500 yards.The other fellow then accused me of never having shot at 500 yards because the difference should be at least 10".He then introduced ballistics charts that actually proved himself wrong but when I pointed this out he ignored this and continued to maintain the 10" difference in trajectory.In the end I had to leave him to make a fool of himself with his claims.It is amazing though how some people believe that every new product is so vastly superior to existing products. So many people abandon common sense to believe manufacturers advertising when a little thinking should make them realize that the claims can't possible be true.I guess that these are the type of people that the advertisers target and for good reason it appears.

You have a valid point.

One member at our club hunts the Rockies and has both like you. He came to the same conclusion on the 50 fps.

He was using a muzzle brake on the 7mm RUM and that had him all confused as he was testing with it on and trying to hunt with it off and thinking that the point of impact at long range would be the same while being limited to 200 yds for his testing.

The RUM's are overbore in most calibers and the WSM's are fine as is however if Newtons 30 had only caught on we would not be in this belted mess and have a cartridge that's just right.

Yup got to agree again. Sometimes I think those charts cause more trouble than their worth. The guys take them as gospel. They ignore stupid things like they might be using a shorter barrel length than the test barrel, different bullet, but same weight.
Sometimes I'd like to burn the whole mess.

If you don't actually practice at 500 yards, forget about taking the shot on game. The charts will NOT get you on target.

you're correct--advertising works--some people really believe all the hoopla about the new "super wisbang ultra mag". they think the existing calibers have in some fashion have died and no longer have any effect on game. well here is my humble opion--if we are talking in the .300 catagory, the .300 h&h has been there ,done that and still kills as dead as it did at birth in 1912. people just do not use common sense any longer, they feel the gun mfgs. can not till a lie. if one does their homework, it is easy to see there is little difference in today's guns and those from yesteryear. sure a little faster, or bigger, but at what percentage of the whole picture.