Rimfire-
A lot of opinions here, so let me give you mine-
I have shot a lot of deer (at least 50 or so) with hard cast lead Keith semi-waddcutters, and hard cast bullets with large flat noses out of 44 mags, 44 specials, 45 long colts, and 45 acp's, all with bullets ranging from 230 grain (in the .45 acp) to 300 grain, all at about 875 fps (again, in the 45 acp) to 1000 fps.
As long as I aim for the heart, or lungs, I have almost always gotten complete thru and thru penitration, a very good blood trail, and usually a deer that runs 15 to 40 or so yards, bleeding like a stuck pig, who then falls over and dies.
I have shot a few with XTP's and the above mentioned hard cast slugs out of 44 mag's at max velocity (around 1300 - 1500 fps), and have noticed, maybe, slightly faster kills, but not so that, to me, it is worth the extra muzzle blast and recoil. Long ago, I setteled on a 250/270 grain Keith at 1000 fps as my standard hunting load for deer. That being said, I often carry the same bullet loaded at max velocity when I am out running my camera in the woods during the Moose rut up in Maine. The one time I really felt I had to shoot in self defence against a moose, I grabbed a 16 ounce high pressure OC (pepper spray) dispenser I was carrying, and it worked like magic. That bull reared up on his hind legs like a horse, sneezing and grunting, snot flying everywere. He ran thru the brush and sapplings like a train, never slowing down. I don't know a handgun would have been more effective..
The thing you are looking for is a bullet with enough weight and velocity for good penitration, and a large, flat nose, or sharp shoulder, to cut a good clean hole, and that it be of decent diamiter. The deer bleeds out quick, and its over. Remember, "shock" does not play a big role. Gut shot deer who have been hit with 7mm mag's run away all the time - A handgun has much less "shock", or "energy", and relies on placement and dammage to vital organs.
Larry
