Finda goodbullet that your gun shoots well and go with it. Then get to the range and practice on a deer silhouette.Pick your shots very carefully. There is absolutely no substitute for proper shot placement. There are lots of folks who want an exit hole to "make following the blood trail easier."Nothing wrong with that.For me, i could care less whether the bullet exits or not:Over 90 percent of the deer and hogs i have shot with a muzzleloaderdied right where they were hit.My guns shoot the 240 grain XTP and 250 grain SST bullets really well and that is what i use for deer and hogs.

Last evening i shot a big doe with my .30-06 at about 150 yards. The handload isacharge ofof IMR 3031 that iswell above recommended max.The bullet isa 150 grainSierra boat tail soft point. The deer was standing broadside in the edge of a wheat field and i aimed just to the rear of the shoulder. At the shot sheshowed no sign of being hit, and just took off with her tail in the air. Knew that she had to be hit andshe was foundin the woods and grass 30 yards from where she was hit.That bullet left an exit hole of well over two inches andthe lungs and heart were totally destroyed.

In the areas where i hunta lot of deer and a larger percentage of the hogs are left in the woods because the shooter just assumed that he/she missed the animal and did not follow up.