I think this mimics what to some degree what I've had in the field, spine or brain shots are the best, regardless of what is used. The largest deer i have on the wall weighed 225 lbs. Not my choice, but when he presented himself I was looking for turkey, 55 grain Barnes x hollow point. I told myself, if your going to take this shot, and no doubt I would, shoot for the neck. He dropped on the spot, my wife shot a 400+lb
russian boar, with a 7mm-08 in the neck, just behind the ear, again, dropped in his tracks. Sometimes shot placement does not mean center of mass. Center of cortex is more like it.
But you all know, we carry what we carry because we can under x circumstances, in my truck I carry a .45 acp, in my pocket, I carry a 9mm. and no one has ever noticed. My model 21 Glock kind of stands out in my daily routine. I basically agree, bigger is better, but not always practical.