Federal lists its 150-grain Fusion for big game and says the Fusion line is built specifically for deer hunting. Fusion is a bonded soft point, with the jacket bonded to the lead core. It carries a G1 BC of .410, leaves the muzzle at 2,900 fps and still has 1,415 ft-lbs of energy at 400 yards.

Compared with Norma's Dedicated Hunting Whitetail 150-grain PSP, a conventional pointed soft point, the Fusion leaves the muzzle 13 fps faster and kicks the same in the same rifle, but it holds a flatter path downrange. At 400 yards, a steady 10 mph wind blowing across the range pushes the Fusion about 14 inches sideways and the Norma about 23. Zeroed at 200 yards, the Fusion drops about 22 inches at 400 and the Norma about 27. Compared with Federal's PowerShok 150-grain Copper HP, a copper hollow point with no lead core, the Fusion starts at nearly the same speed with the same kick, and at 400 yards the same wind pushes the Copper HP about 22 inches.

Buy the Fusion 150 if you hunt deer or other big game and want a bonded bullet that shoots flatter and drifts less than the plain soft points. Pick the Norma Whitetail 150 only if your shots stay inside 200 yards, where the two loads are hard to tell apart. Pick the PowerShok Copper 150 if you need a bullet with no lead core. Winchester's Ballistic Silvertip 150 leaves the muzzle at the same speed with the same kick and is the choice if you prefer a polymer tip. Winchester's Super-X 165-grain Power-Point suits a hunter who wants a heavier bullet; it kicks about 16 percent harder.