ORIGINAL: ronlaughlin
Use your shockwave for practice and to get your scope close. Switch to a better hunting bullet of similar ballistic for the hunt. You will only need to shoot a few shots at paper with the good bullet to get it sighted in for hunting. You can play with the shockwave all summer shootin' at watermelon, and water jug, and ice block. Chap speak the truth about the inadequacy of the shockwave.
I've shot dozens of deer with the 200SW, it has no problem. I hear lots of people saying they heard other people have problems, but there are very few first-hand reports of it. Sounds like the rumor mill to me.
You can look back on this board to last fall, you'll find a lot of detailed reports on bullet performance. You'll find a ton of reports where a SW did just what it is supposed to, and a couple where it did not.
I've taken deer from 20 to 338 yards with the 200SW over just 110gr 777, MV of 2040 fps, the majority are bang-flops and none ran a significant distance out of the several dozen I have shot.
I do my part to put the bullet in the right place and it has always kept up its part. If anything, the SW opens a little TOO easily as I've seen jacket separation right before exiting the far side skin as far out at 200 yds.
150gr pyrodex will get you 2100-2200fps depending on the gun.