The rationales expressed here strike to the heart of the difference between eastern and western hunters and their needs of 200 years ago - and appears to remain so today. In these parts a .50 is all the average fella needs, and can do well with a smaller ball (and often a lot smaller). A 100-120 pound whitetail doesn't take a helluva lot of killing, especially at 50 yards or less. Larger animals (of which there are none here), or smaller ones at greater distance, absolutely call for more muscle.
All that points to my locally perceived wish for a soft lead ball that may well flatten a bit and hence maybe cause a bit more internal damage. Again, with a smaller deer darn near every shot from a .45 or .50 is gonna pass through even if the ball is mis-shapen. At least that's my observation, having killed more deer with a .45 and .50 RB than with all my CF rifles combined.
My standard load in .50's was 50 gr. 3f, and balls passed through and died with alacrity. Wouldn't rely on it if elk or buffalo was in the offing though, or if 100 yard shots were probable also. The right tool for the job in the right place, and all that.
