An old hunting pard has been using 200-250 grain cast bullets in a couple .35 Whelen's, cast at around 12 bhn (from wheelweights) and driven at 1800fps or so to kill deer for the last 30 years or so in MD, VA, and PA without a hiccup. 'Tain't rocket science. A .35 bullet that'll expand, driven anywhere from .357 Mag velocities on up, will kill whitetail deer.
