I'm pretty serious about my deer hunting and when I go out I try to leave as little as possible to chance. We all make sure that our rifles are as accurate as possible with the loads that we have chosen for them but do we test the bullets performance using different alloys? This year I plan to hunt with two rifles that I've never used before, a Remington #2 in 38/40 and a Dakota Sharps in 357 mag. I worked up good loads for each using 185 and 210 grain bullets respectively with velocities of 1350 and 1550 fps. To test the bullets performance I stack cut up cardboard boxes into bales 24" thick held together with bailing wire. I soak them in water for 24 hours and then let them drain for a few hours or so. I shoot into them at 50 yards  because that is the average distance that I shoot when hunting. When cast with an alloy of 9 to 13 BHN the bullets give good accuracy, penetrate 16 to 18 inches, double in diameter and retain 95% of their weight or better. This is better performance than a lot of commercial jacketed stuff and also results in no meat loss. I like to do this because it removes one more variable to the equation and places success squarely on me and not on my equipment.

Not anymore and haven't for a couple decades.   30-35 years ago I switched completely to cast bullets for hunting and I believe I can look at a cast bullet and know whether or not it's going to be effective.  After 10-15 years of killing multiple deer a year with various cast bullets I came to a few conclusions that seem pretty definite for my hunting conditions. 

Heavy for caliber cast bullets of 25-1 to 65/35 lead/lino, (depending on whether they're for black powder or smokeless), with wide meplats driven at moderate velocity have produced quicker kills for me than jacketed expanding bullets ever did.  However, expanding jacketed bullets are very effective at making a real mess of things.  Somewhere between 60 and 90 deer over the last 30-35 years have told me more than ballistic gelatin or cardboard or wet phone books ever did.

I think I'm finished hunting but if I should go this year I know exactly what bullet I'll use for what caliber.