I've killed whitetails with 87 grain Hornady, 87 grain Speer HotCore, and 90 grain Sierrra BTHP bullets fired from 1-14" ROT Savage and Winchester 250-3000 barrels. Of those 3 bullets, I'd pick the 87 grain Speer HotCore 'cause it seems tougher than the others. I had a couple of the 90 grain Sierras come apart on impact, so I quite using them on deer, but they shoot so well that I still use them on coyotes.
The toughest bullet for shooting deer with a 1-14" ROT .257" bore barrel that I've yet to use is the old 75 grain Barnes Original X. That is the bullet that I use in my Winchester/USRA 70 Lightweight Carbine in 250-3000 and Winchester/Olin 70 in 25 WSSM.
