I have taken moose with 1 shot kills at distance across a large pond with both my .270 Wby. magnum and my .300 Wby. magnum. In the .270 I used 150gr and in the .300 I used 180gr. Never a problem. I even load them into my sons Mosin Nagant in 7.62X44R. and he has taken 3 deer, all with one shot hits. I’ve used the “regular” bullets in factory loads as well as various premium types. I think there is little benefit from premium bullets in deer hunting, although if they shoot well in your rifle, there is no harm either.
Nosler Partitions are an excellent starting point into premium bullets. I’ve used Winchester Fail-Safes for Moose and have found that they give excellent penetration. Many others are not impressed with them. Last year I had Swift A-frames in my .338, but no Moose in my sights for the season. I just wanted to try another bullet, no reason other than that. Generally, the regular bullets will be acceptable in most cases, unless you prefer more penetration. Partitions will not retain their weight as well as some of the other premiums, but they have generally had great accuracy for me.
Ballistic Tips are an excellent choice for deer sized game, provided they shoot well in your rifle. If you decide on what “class” of bullet you want (regular or premium) and have they time to test, I’d simply use the most accurate bullet in my rifle. I generally try the premium bullets in my rifles because I enjoy the shooting and they are the cheapest part of a hunt. Often this means the bullets are more than is necessary for deer. The caliber you shoot is also important. I’m much less picky about the bullet when throwing 350g of 45-70 bullet than I am hunting moose with a .30 caliber (and I use larger calibers for moose hunting now).
