I think that man, as a basic creature craves a bit of challenge in life. And I mean the types of challenge that tests our "manhood." It's a primal instinct. Think of two similar sized deer that spar over breeding rights during the rut. Since we are thinking humans, and don't live off instincts, we create challenges such as rock climbing, skydiving, scuba diving, shooting, etc to satisify our instinct cravings.
Even a lot of men volunteer to be firemen, soldiers, cops etc with their subconcious knowing about the dangers & excitement they percieve that job will present to them.
However, quite often, in the "tame" things, they never get fully satisified, and in the extreme ones, (war, actual shootings, serious fires etc) many men figure out they no longer need the "rush" of excitement.
Holloywierd feeds these primal instincts with a lot of their movies depicting ordinary men being pitted against an overwhelming adversary.
So, while many folks feel they need the biggest, baddest, most powerful firearm, to ward off the upcoming alien invasion, or the zombie hords, it's just a way of venting their primal instincts.
The folks who actually buy the big "loudenboomingkicking" guns such as the 500's etc, AND shoot them a LOT, are folks who appreciate such creatures w/o the primal instincts driving them. Most folks do not shoot the big ones too often. (Remember how so many had to have a S&W 29 after Dirty Harry, yet later on you could buy them with only "6 rounds fired"???) Similar thing.
JMO!
