Hello all. It is deer season here in the east as a lot of you probably know. Here in the state of Ohio we are not allowed to use high powered rifles, only muzzloaders, Shotguns, or handguns (on top of bows or crossbows). I have a .50 caliber muzzleloader and a Springfield Loaded model 1911 .45acp. I have hunted with the Thompson center a handful of times but I do not like to lug the thing around/up tree stands and I do not like only having one shot. I have gotten pretty good with 1911, I've put about 1000rds through it and can easily make a lung shot at 30-35yds or a heart shot at 20-25. I have made the decision to use this weapon as a deer tool. I know that penetration and shot placement are the biggest factors in harvesting an animal. With my old 12gauge I use to have i focused only on heart shots and had very good luck. So here is my dilemma, using a slow, heavy handgun round- would you guys use a heavy hard cast/fmj flat point and shoot for the shoulder bone/frontal lung, or would you use a 200-230gr hollowpoint and aim for the heart/lungs? I figure a good Bonded HP going about 900-1000fps would shred his heart up pretty good, but do you think he would be able to run more than 75yds, Making recovery difficult? Woods here are pretty thick and if he doesn't bleed a lot tracking could be hard. Or I could use a heavy hardcast (255gr) and get him in the shoulder, ensuring he can't go far but also penetrating its lung/s so he will run out of breath and pass. I don't need to hear about if you think a .45 is not enough for this use, It has enough penetration for my range 30yds Max, and I know I can hit with it. The question is if you were me, which shot would you take? Using a .45acp handgun with a 5"barrel for deer in my state is legal. The deer here are pretty big for the national average. Most adult does are around 160lbs undressed, I have seen bucks that weigh around 250 or more. I have used a 12 ga few times a few years ago and when hit in the heart an adult doe will run about 15yds before falling dead. I wonder if a good hollow point could do similar damage.