I'm not the guy that works up 15 different loads for a rifle.
One load for deer under 125 pounds shot in eastern woodlots
One load for deer shot in Montana at higher elevations, not to exceed 250 pounds
One load for Key deer, should the season ever open.
When it doubt I'll ALWAYS go on the side of penetration. I also made the switch to Barnes bullets in Alaska. Sure I don't need a premium bullet to kill 180 pound blacktails, but it don't hurt to have when you're hunting around 500 pound animals that can eat you.
Never felt the need to switch, have yet to see little deer die slowly because of Barnes bullets. I haven't shot a deer with a Barnes the previous 2 years but have killed 2 with Barnes this year. As always, the deer died quicker and there wasn't much wasted meat in the shoulder when shot with one.
I know, don't shoot them in the shoulder, only shoot them in the ribs, with the sun at your back.
Again, the cost of premium bullets MIGHT be a consideration if I was shooting 650 animals a year, but I ain't.
Scott and I don't always agree, but this post hits home pretty good in regards to my views also.
TTSX have given a friend of mine thats shot quite a few different bullets, his fastest kills and shortest trails ever. At least for the last 3 or so years now.
I've yet to see one kill slowly.
They are hard to recover. Sufficiently accurate. Generally leave 2 holes(not 4 or 5....) and generally weigh pretty much what they started out as.
How thats not about the best you can ask for is beyond me.
I'm about done with Sierra game kings. Most deer shot with them have been dead. But the performance from one to another has been too erratic for me. Their SMKs perform much more consistent than their game kinds fwiw.
There are others but when you find one that works why look further typically.
And for those that think Barnes are to expensive.... I run Lehigh in my 300/221 same reason as barnes.. they work... who cares they are 80 per 50 for bullets only... By far cheap enough.
When it comes to cost... those that worry evidently have never slung 20,000 Sierra Match Kings down range mixed with a bunch of berger and jlks too in a year... year after year.... including quite a few cheaper sierras for practice....
Now if I was shooting 4-5 cases of duck loads a year at the same cost per round, then it might become significant.
