RE: Deer Loads
Speers TBBC is a bullet most consider for the larger deer species(elk/moose)or danagerous game. It has a large rear copper shankwith the core chemically bonded to the copper jacket to reduce seperation, yields high weight retention(speers state 95% retention with the TBBC) for penetration. No worries about it coming unglued or not penetrating a deer! Should work fine though the wound channelmay not be as large as the AB you used last year and the blood trail may be weaker due to the overall expansion being reduced on a thin skinned animal. More bullet than required for a whitetail but certainlyothers have used it with success on such animals. The fact you went with 150 gr version should help some in the wound channel as your velocity will be higher. If you aim for the shoulder should work awesome with very little meat damage.
As to the ruger CF's, not my favorite but plenty will disagree. If you like it that is all that really matters.