I should also find out what bullets I can load with. I want to use a boat tail as I have heard that they provide some of the best ballistics(except of course the ballistic tip bullets but they are overkill on deer). I would like to be shooting somewhere in the 140 grain range. Or if I am convinced that lighter bullets will do the same job I would maybe go with a lighter bullet. I have not been able to find .280 bullets unless the .284 bullets are what I should be loading with. I have not loaded any yet and haven't done a ton of research yet(that's what this is). What is the best combination I could use to get the best acurracy with the most knockdown at both short and long range. I do hunt thick woods as well as open fields. Again I don't want to go to the extreme where I make hamburger out of my deer either. Just a nice clean kill.