6.5 Grendel versus 6mm ARC for whitetail

[JASmith]

The high shoulder shot applies to a lot more calibers and cartridges than just the 6 vs 6.5 discussion. I will nonetheless respond because it is easy to find discussions revealing reasons why the high shoulder shot is less than ideal in spite of the dramatic results from a well-placed shot.

The main problem with the high shoulder shot is that a small miss forward, above, or above and behind will usually result in a wounded and lost deer.

Aiming for the upper part of the heart gives a lot more margin for error. The miss high and forward triggers the brachial nerve. Misses in other directions by the same amount for the most part result in rapid loss of consciousness and short runs. The bullet weight suggestions apply to this type of shot placement.

Returning to the first line of this post -- there are good arguments for finding or starting a thread dedicated to shot placement even though it comes up frequently in a lot of our threads. Further discussions of shot placement should be carried out there.