I've used my sks to take two hogs... both about 125 lbs or so... and it worked ok. I used Federal ammo, with a 123gr softpoint. For hogs, it needs a heavier bullet. For deer, those would work well, especially considering your self-imposed range limitation. Wolf is also now selling a load with a 154gr softpoint bullet. I bought 4 boxes of them at the last gunshow, but haven't had a chance to see how they group. If they are reasonably accurate, then I don't see any need to ever reload for deer or hogs.... and they are cheap... almost as cheap as the fmj mil-surp ammo.
I have used mil-surp Chinese ammo, and the Russian hollow-points, and have NEVER had a misfire. NEVER. I haven't used any of the Wolf ammo in the 7.62, but I have in pistols, and it seemed to work ok for me there.
Now is a good time to be shooting an sks... ammo is about as low as I've ever seen it... 80 dollars a thousand? Hard to beat that.

"Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness..those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Santayana