The 5 Best Bullet Styles for Deer Hunting

Whitetails aren’t difficult to bring down with good shot placement, but choosing the right bullet for the rifle and cartridge you’re shooting will make you more effective. Realtree Image.

Today's gun writers can make a decent living writing clickbait. Any story titled “Top 10 Calibers for (Insert Critter Here)” is about guaranteed to pull readers in and make them argue, and website publishers love that.

But the truth is, for killing deer inside 200 yards — where the overwhelming majority of them are shot — cartridge selection makes little difference. You can shoot a 7 PRC or a .22 Creedmoor, a .243 Winchester or a .30-06 Springfield. If you hit the right spot with any of the above, there'll be no difference in how dead the deer is, and probably no difference in how far the deer runs or the size of the blood trail — that is, if you’re shooting a good bullet for the cartridge. That's the distinction to make.

To a point, cartridge selection doesn't matter nearly as much as bullet selection. But cartridge selection does influence your bullet selection. That in itself is a little confusing. Add in that today's deer hunters have more options than ever for good bullets, and it can seem downright overwhelming.

The purpose of this guide isn't to list a bunch of specific bullets that you should be using, but rather to provide some broader guidelines to follow for selecting bullet style, according to what gun you're shooting — muzzleloaders and shotguns included.

Don’t Miss: 100 Years of Hunting with the .270 Winchester

RIFLE CARTRIDGE GUIDE

Some cartridges work great with a variety of bullet styles, particularly classics such as .270 and .308. Realtree Image.

Obviously, there's crossover here. But in general, here's what we mean for different rifle cartridge categories:

• Small Guns: These include heavier .22 centerfires such as the newer .22 ARC and .22 Creedmoor; the classic .223 Rem. and .22-250 Rem; and up to 6mm Rem., 6mm Creedmoor, .243 Win., .243 WSSM and others. Deer-weight bullets for these cartridges weigh 60 to 130 grains, and most are high velocity (3,000 fps, plus or minus).

• Standard Deer Guns: These are versatile, workhorse chamberings, some short-action, some long, including .25-06 Rem., 25 Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, .270 Win., 7mm-08 Rem., .280 Rem., .308 Win., and .30-06 Springfield. They shoot 115- to 180-grain bullets at moderate to high velocity (2,500 to 3,000 fps).

• Straight-Wall/Lever-Action Deer Guns: Classic lever guns might be chambered for .30-30, .35 Rem., or perhaps magnum revolver rounds, such as .44 Mag., or .357 Mag. But plenty of other modern deer rifles (including bolt-actions, single-shots, and semi-autos) are also chambered in straight-wall cartridges such as .350 Legend, .360 Buckhammer, .444 Marlin, .450 Bushmaster, and .45-70. These shoot medium- to heavy-weight bullets (150 to 300-plus grains) at slow to moderate velocity.

• Magnum Cartridges: These shoot medium- to heavy-weight bullets (150 grains plus) fast (3,000 fps plus). Here, we're talking about newer offerings such as the 6.8 Western, 7 PRC, .300 PRC, and 28 Nosler as well as classics such as the 7mm Rem. Mag., .300 Win. Mag., and .300 WSM.

JACKETED SOFT POINTS (JSP)

Classic jacketed soft points expand rapidly and are economical. They’re a great choice at medium range when paired with classic deer cartridges. Image courtesy of Federal Premium.

Best For: Moderate ranges and standard, straight-wall, and magnum deer cartridges.

I grew up shooting deer with bullets such as Remington Core-Lokts and Winchester Super-X Power-Points out of a .30-06 and .308. And man, did they ever flatten whitetails. Simple jacketed cup-and-core soft-point bullets have been around for a long time. They're mostly inexpensive, and the type of bullet found in a lot of entry level deer loads. Generally, the jackets aren't bonded to the soft lead cores, so these bullets tend to expand rapidly upon impact, often shedding the copper jacket in the process. Adequate bullet weight ensures sufficient penetration. Soft points of, say, 130 grains and heavier out of your standard deer gun cartridges work beautifully on whitetails.

Steer clear of standard soft points for small-caliber rifles, though, since they can expand too rapidly, causing the bullet to shed too much material and weight to penetrate adequately. Cartridges such as the .223 Remington greatly benefit from sturdier bullets that are designed for more controlled expansion — which we’ll get to below. Personally, I consider a 100-grain .243 soft point to be about the line of demarcation for whitetail use, where you might want to consider something sturdier than a soft point.

Don’t Miss: 3 Great Deer Cartridges that Don’t Get Enough Respect

JACKETED HOLLOW POINTS (JHP)

Many hunters prefer jacketed hollow points with bigger bullets, such as those found in many straight-wall rifle cartridges and muzzleloaders. Image courtesy of Federal Premium.

Best For: Close ranges and straight-wall/lever-action cartridges, plus shotgun slugs and muzzleloaders.

Some match-style bullets technically have hollow points, and a good many lightweight varmint bullets are also hollow points. Hollow points are generally designed for rapid expansion, and even near-explosive fragmentation at high velocities. For deer hunting, hollow points work well out of slower, large-caliber rifles. They still expand rapidly, creating quick trauma, but the heavy bullets retain the weight needed to penetrate deep and do the job.

Think deer guns chambered for straight-wall rifle cartridges such as the .350 Legend and .360 Buckhammer, and magnum revolver cartridges, such as the .44 Magnum. Good jacketed hollow-point bullets are lethal for muzzleloader and shotgun slug hunters, too, especially inside 100 yards.

Don’t Miss: Hunting with the Federal 7mm Backcountry

ALL COPPER/NONTOXIC

Copper bullets are nontoxic and can offer outstanding terminal performance, particularly when deep penetration is needed. Image courtesy of Federal Premium.

Best For: Close to moderate ranges with small cartridges; moderate to longer ranges with standard deer cartridges.

In a few places, big-game hunters are required to use nontoxic bullets, and solid copper ones are among the few options. It's not a stretch to think that more states could jump on the lead-free bandwagon in the coming years, too.

Many duck hunters with a few seasons behind them might remember the horrors of early steel-shot waterfowl loads when nontoxic shot became the federal law of the land. Simply put, early steel sucked at knocking down birds, compared with lead. Fortunately, big-game hunters don't have to worry as much because there are already some really good copper bullets on the market. I’ve shot a bunch of animals with copper bullets, including a pile of whitetails and pigs, and a few elk. I don't mind copper bullets one bit. Most of them I've used group well, provide adequate controlled expansion, and retain their weight for deep penetration. They're good for big critters with adequate guns, or for medium-sized critters with smaller ones. My favorite muzzleloader bullet is Federal's 250-grain all-copper B.O.R. Lock MZ.

For centerfire rifles, the Barnes Triple-Shock X (TSX) is a classic that Federal Premium offers in several cartridges. The Triple-Shock is a controlled-expansion bullet (usually with four perfect petals up front), and one I've used to kill a number of whitetails, plus a few big hogs. It's a good choice for small-caliber rifles, too, since even small .22-caliber bullets generally hold up well enough to penetrate sufficiently on whitetails. Winchester also has the Deer Season XP Copper Impact — a copper bullet with a polymer tip for rapid expansion — in several of the most popular deer rifle chamberings.

FRANGIBLE POLYMER TIPPED (AKA, BALLISTIC TIP)

Frangible polymer-tipped bullets such as the Nosler Ballistic Tip can provide explosive performance at long range, especially when paired with flat-shooting magnum cartridges. Image courtesy of Federal Premium.

Best For: Moderate to long ranges with standard and magnum cartridges.

A good many hunting bullets have colorful polymer tips these days, but the Nosler Ballistic Tip in particular became so popular that many hunters still casually refer to all plastic-tipped bullets as ballistic tips (same as generically calling all soft drinks Coke). But these days, that's not accurate because there are big differences in polymer-tipped bullets. Many premium bonded bullets designed for long-range hunting — such as the Federal Terminal Ascent and Hornady ELD-X — also have polymer tips, but aren’t the frangible “ballistic tips” we’re talking about here. More on that in a bit.

The bullets for this discussion have thin, tapered jackets; a lead core; and a heavy jacketed, boattail base. The polymer point up front is designed to smash into the lead core, creating rapid expansion upon impact. They're accurate, aerodynamic bullets, and they're excellent for instantly anchoring coyotes, groundhogs, and prairie dogs from high-speed cartridges such as the .204 Ruger, .223, and .22-250. Deer hunters can get the same effect by using them in higher-velocity rifle rounds such as .270, .30-06, 7mm Rem. Mag., and .300 Win. Mag. The terminal performance is much like a JSP, but often more devastating — and many of these bullets group a little better, too. The biggest buck I've ever killed fell to a 150-grain Winchester Ballistic Silvertip out of a .308, and that classic load is still a go-to for that rifle.

BONDED BULLETS

Modern bonded bullets in a variety of configurations and price ranges offer outstanding performance. Image courtesy of Federal Premium.

Best For: Close to moderate ranges with small cartridges; moderate to long ranges with standard deer guns.

Because of the interest in long-range hunting and shooting, a lot of product focus from ammo makers has been on high-end bullets designed to work reliably at extended ranges. Many of these bullets are expressly designed for the many modern rifle cartridges sporting high ballistic coefficients and heavy-for-caliber bullet designs, such as the 6.5 Creedmoor and 7 PRC. On the one hand, the average whitetail hunter toting a classic .270 doesn't need to spend the extra coin for premium ammunition; cheap soft points will work just fine on even the biggest bucks out to 300 yards, if you're shooting a capable cartridge.

But on the other hand, there are some outstanding hunting loads available with these high-end bullets, and they perform very well at all ranges. I've used Federal's Terminal Ascent in a variety of cartridges on whitetails, hogs, elk, and aoudad at ranges from 40 yards to 425. Hornady's Precision Hunter and ELD-X bullet is a similar loading that I've also used a good bit on whitetails, hogs, antelope, and bears at ranges of 50 to 300 yards in 6.5 CM. Both are simply outstanding game bullets.

The Nosler Partition is one of the original premium bullets, and though it's designed for bigger stuff, my .30-06 shoots the 180-grain Partitions better than anything else, and they're good deer bullets, if not a little heavy for the job in that caliber.

Premium bonded bullets offer big advantages to shooters who like little guns, too — a niche that’s rapidly growing in popularity. Many modern .22 centerfires such as the .22 Creedmoor and .22 ARC are designed to work best with 60- to 80-grain bullets, and with premium construction plenty of hunters are using those guns to take some really big animals. Meanwhile, the .223 remains a popular deer rifle. I’ve killed a few whitetails with it, and am not impressed — but if that’s what you’re using, choose your bullets carefully, and spend the extra money on a premium bonded or copper offering. You need controlled expansion and deep penetration.

This last category is the broadest, and it continues to grow as more bullet makers perfect the secret sauce for accuracy and terminal performance. If you're shooting a little gun, taking longer shots, or if you're just a gearhead who obsesses over minute details, premium hunting bullets can definitely give you an advantage that’s worth the price.

All the top deer cartridges have suitable bullets in a variety of weights. In this day and age of scarce ammo, will switching from 150-grain bullets to 165s make any difference in your .308?

The answer is definitely yes — though both will probably be “deer killing close” at 100 yards. Different bullet weights and styles have different velocities, aerodynamics, and ballistic profiles. The difference at 50 or 100 yards might be barely noticeable — but it could put you half a foot or more off at 200 yards.

Further, some rifle barrels, depending on rate of twist and length, shoot best with particular bullet weights. My old .30-06 will keep 150-grain bullets in a decent group at 100 yards, but it'll make 180s touch. I don't know why, but I always remember it when I'm shopping for ammo. Try enough different loads to figure out what your gun likes, settle on a bullet that performs well for you, and then stick with it.

Don’t Miss: 4 Deer Guns that Don’t Kick, According to my Kid

Editor’s Note: This story was originally posted in July 2021. There have been many new cartridge and bullet introductions since then, and we’ve updated the original copy to reflect that, but for whitetail hunters, much of the original advice still holds true.