That is the trouble with a lot of the better quality bullets out there. The Barnes Expanders and Powerbelts are another example. A great bullet, but at a dollar a piece, they just hurt when you want to sit on the range and tune your skills. Powerbelts costs are another reason I will not shoot them. When I catch them on sale, I stock up on them, but I always think, if a store can sell them at the end of season for 50% off, you know they are not loosing money on the things, so the profit margin on a lot of these bullets really stink.

I think I have some of the Speer Gold Dots you speak about. They are actually for a 454 Casuall but are .452 diameter. I had some back luck with other Gold Dot bullets. They shot well out to 70 yards, but after that they started spreading out.

I agree the bullet you used preformed excellent. Just looking at the entrance hole was impressive enough. And by the way, that still was an excellent shot.