I took two deer last Friday with my 30AS and 170 gr. Winchester Power Points. I came away with some mixed feelings about the bullet's performance. Mind you, this is only two deer, but, here's what I experienced. Both deer, an average sized buck and doe-I'd guess about 130-140 lbs. live weight. The buck was slightly quartering away at just beyond 50 yards so that the shot entered the liver region and angled forward through the lungs exiting behind the offside shoulder. The doe was a bit further but no more than 70 yards away and almost exactly broadside. The shot was about halfway up the body immediately behind the shoulders.
The Winchester bullets print very well from this rifle (slightly over an inch @ 100 yards). Both deer were reliably harvested with a shot apiece. Neither deer expired as quickly as I'm used to seeing with 150 gr. .30-30 Remington Core-lokts. The doe especially surprised me. After the shot, I naively left my rifle in the blind to find the deer for field dressing (I know, dumb! dumb! dumb!). The doe took off at the shot and I expected to find her ready for field dressing within 30-50 yards through the woods. As I approached the place where I shot her, I saw a deer standing. (She'd obviously doubled back). Thinking it was another deer, I didn't pay too much attention until I realized this deer was MY deer. After seeing me, she took off again, and I actually observed a chunk of lung fall from the very modest exit wound. So now, feeling stupid, I walked back to the blind to gather the rifle, thinking I'm gonna have to deal with a wounded deer. However, after returning, I found the deer quite dead about 50 yards further in.
I guess I won't be afraid to use this load again, but I'm sorta thinking the 150 gr. Core-lokt may be a more effective load for smaller whitetails. Any input from the rest of you?