Oregon Bill--I have taken quite a few deer and hogs with bullets ranging from the 457122 340 grain Gould Hollowpoint to 540 grain round nosed paper patch in both 45-70 and 45-90 Sharps. The Gould hollowpoint will put a deer on the ground RIGHT NOW, but doesn't reliably carry the mail when you have to penetrate the shield and get good penetration on a a large feral hog. For this reason I would not use this bullet on elk, buffalo, or bear.
The Lyman 457193 Flat Point at 425 grains shoots completely through deer and hogs, and the exit wound is usually only slightly larger than the entry hole. Hit in the right place, the animal is usually found within 60 to 100 yards.
The Lyman 457125 Govt. bullet and the Lyman 457132 Postell give complete penetration on deer and hogs from any angle, as have traditional paper patch bullets . I know it is said that these round nosed designs don't work as well as those bullets with a meplat on game, but this has not been my experience. A good hit gives good results with the round nosed bullet, in my experience. These bullets are my choice for all my hunting. I am slated to shoot a buffalo next week. The rifle will be a 45-90 Sharps, and the load will be a 540 grain round nosed paper patch bullet at 30-1 driven by 85 grains of Goex 2f. I am expecting a shot in the 150-200 yard range, and will be surprised if I don't shoot all the way through the animal.
All of these bullets need to be cast soft, in my opinion. Early on, when I was starting out in this, I used wheelweights for hunting. The Gould hollowpoint will absolutely blow up on the shoulder of a deer if cast from wheelweights and ruin the front half of the deer. It will not exit. Cast at 30-1, it kills cleanly. I have never lost an animal when shooting a bullet of 30-1 or softer, regardless of nose shape. I lost six shooting the 457193 and the 457125 cast from wheelweights before I caught on. It was a bitter, sad lesson. Shoot straight, rdnck.
