Being a fan of deer hunting with the .44 Magnum, both handgun, and carbine (Rugers), I can tell you, from my own experiences, I would have no problem recommending soft point jacketed bullets (240 gr.) for deer. The 240 gr. will give adequate penetration and do sufficient damage, if you place your shots properly. Before I was into reloading, I used Remington 240 gr. jacketed soft points in the Ruger carbine. They worked very well on deer out to 100 yds. Now I am reloading and have found a load which works great in both my Super Blackhawk, and in the carbine. It consists of the Hornady HP/XTP 240 gr., 24.3 gr. H110, with a WLP primer. I have been pleased with the results of this bullet on deer and hogs. I get approximately 1400 fps from the handgun, and around 1700 fps from the rifle.