TR, I dont think the fact they're reloads has anything to do with teh bullet. With a light bullet traveling at high speeds, it tends to fragment when hitting something hard. It's good if the pieces of teh bullet bounce around the inside of the deer because it causes alot of internal damage. The Sierra bullets you're speaking of probably aren't very strong..sounds like varmint bullets almost..I shoot Hornady Interbonds, as those things wont break up very easily. I would say gut shot..i've gut shot like 3 deer, all 3 didnt go more than 20 yards. they were does though, i dont know how a large buck woudl react. I think if you hit them hard enough with a high powered rifle bullet in the guts it will kill. Im not condoning gut shots either. one of the worst places to hit a deer. I think if i had one shot on a huge buck and didnt care about meat a whole lot i would shoot for the hind quarters. With a high powered rifle bullet or a shotgun slug, you can break the pelvis and make sure that deer ain't going anywhere. alot of arteries too to take out in the hindquarters.

slayer