[jmr40]

The 147 gr hardcast are designed for extreme penetration and protection from large predators when using 9mm. I've seen testing with them penetrating 5'+ in gel. They only had 60" of gel and did not stop the bullets. When Phil Shoemaker killed the brown bear that attacked one of his fishing clients a few years ago he was using a Buffalo Bore 147 gr hardcast bullet.

I'd expect one of the heavy hardcast bullets to give complete penetration on most deer size game, but I'd also expect a HP bullet to do more damage and put down a game animal a little faster.

The early 147 gr HP loads did not reliably expand at the slower speeds necessary with the heavier bullets and got a bad reputation. That appears to have been solved. If I were planning on hunting deer size game with 9mm I'd be looking at 147 gr HP loads for deer size game and save the hardcast for larger game where much more penetration is needed.