I agree with Hammer on this one. For deer it does not really matter.
I have found few HP's that "open up" on a consistent basis as ranges increase/velocity decreases.
I make my own bullets from LBT WFN, LFN and WLN and Keith moulds in 357, 44, 45 and 45/70. I have shot a dozen deer and 3 hogs, most with a 45 Colt and 300 gr. bullets.
I have only shot two deer with "expanding" jacketed bullets, and they worked fine, but only one "off of the muzzle" showed expansion.
The nice thing about casting your own is its economical to actually practice with the loads you are hunting with and not re-zeroing your sights. The key to handgun, or any hunting, is a bullet in the right place. Practice is paramount.
Another point is that a cast bullet (it doesn't really have to be hard, WW alloy will go lengthwise through a deer) is that the results are always consistent. I have had one JSP actually lose the core on entrance, but of course killed the deer. Yes, there are great jacketed bullets out there, but as a luddite I favor simple, same, predictable results. A cast bullet through shoulders, front of lungs messes up any deer, but I am biased!
