Early April in Canada? That’s a toss up

Also terrain in the Middle East tends to be flat and tree-less leading to longer engagement distances.

When it comes to ballistic projectiles nothing is better or worse than any other. It’s just a matter of application. The .280 would have had a slight flatter curve and slower speed down range as opposed to a .30. At the end of the day it’s a matter of what the military seems as necessary energy at muzzle, 100 ft, 500ft etc with consideration to bullet drop trade off for larger rounds

You think Vatican has a say in funding of archeological pursuits by major educational institutions of the world?