Palehorse, may i ask where you live?if your shots are not over 150 yds, the .250-.300gr deep curls are the way to go. or as Sabotloader mentioned practice with the .250 gold dots and hunt with the .250 barnes TEZ bullets. that is exactly what i do lol.if i lived in country where 0-150 yds were the norm, the Gold dot is all i would use.a major reason your costs are so high is you use pellets instead of loose powder. if you really want to have fun and shoot cheap, loose powder and conicals are the way to go.Even centerfire is expensive,core locks are 24.00 a box here a federal premiums are 35.00. do the math.. Ray