Killed my first deer ever with a .44 mag Ruger carbine. Shot it at the base of the tail from around 40 - 45 +/- yards. Bullet lodge just under the hide at the front if it's right shoulder. 240grain Winchester factory load, semi-hollow point. First shot put it down taking out it's hind quarters, finished it off with a second shot through both lungs and out the other side. Didn't make it more than a couple of yards from 1st shot.
Took one deer with a 30/30 out of a Remington 788 at about the same distance,150 grain Federal factory loads. Standing quartering toward me, bullet struck high on it's left shoulder and exited just behind last rib on off side. Bullet just 'penciled' through though and never expanded and it ran off. I found it dead around 125 - 150 yards away. It was full of blood. Apparently it bled out internally on the run like it was arrow killed. The bullet had passed through one lung, cut a groove in the heart and punched through the liver.
Didn't find any blood until just a short distance from were it finally dropped over dead and then it was just a couple of drops where it jumped a fence.
