Congrats on the buck and I am jealous- ML season here ended over a month ago in NY. What state are you in? I have used 245 gr. PB s and taken 3 deer at 45 yds, 60 yds and 85 yds and they performed well. I did find out the hard way that on a clean barrel and in very cold temps they shoot low on the first shot with my CVA Magbolt. When I called CVA about the initial low shots, they recommended sighting in and hunting through a fouled barrel to ensure the gas check seals consistently. I plan on upgrading to an Omega before next season to eliminate any looseness.

Sounds like your Aerotip did a fine job. What gets me is I have seen a couple posts where guys are using sabots on the first shot and then reloading a PB to finish off the animal. That seems too confusing to me. When I get my new Omega I will test sabots and both types of PBs at all ranges to find the best all around loader and shooter for me.