I know this is an elk forum and I'm not trying to highjack. I mostly hunt deer in coastal Carolina. They are small. I've killed deer with my 243 but don't like that it doesn't give me a blood trail. Before everyone chimes in on my "abilities", shot placement was never the issue. Center punch the lungs above the heart and the deer generally go 20-40yds (my experience with factory ammo). Coastal Carolina has some badass bush and without blood on the ground sometimes you almost have to trip over the animal to find it. I believe in complete pass through, 2 holes let in more air and let out more blood. I'm just getting going with reloading, what bullet will give me the blood trail I want? (I currently have 100gr boat tail Interlocks and 100gr partitions)
Again, not trying to highjack, this seems like the right "cast of characters" to answer the question.
Bore size is no substitute for shot placement and Power is no substitute for bullet performance. 458WIN
