Norma markets its Whitetail line for deer, and the 6.5 Creedmoor version carries a 140-grain soft point, a jacketed bullet with lead exposed at the tip. It is rated at a G1 BC of .373 and leaves the muzzle at 2,657 fps.

Compared with Hornady's American Whitetail 129, a lighter soft point Hornady also markets for deer, the Norma is slower and drifts more. At 300 yards, a steady 10 mph wind blowing across the range pushes the Norma about 9 inches sideways and the American Whitetail about 7. The American Whitetail also kicks about 9 percent less in the same rifle. Compared with Hornady's Precision Hunter 143-grain ELD-X, a polymer-tipped hunting bullet of similar weight, the Norma falls behind downrange. Zeroed at 100 yards, the Norma drops about 16 inches at 300 and the Precision Hunter about 14, and the same wind pushes the Precision Hunter about 5 inches. The Precision Hunter kicks about 6 percent harder in the same rifle.

Buy the Norma Whitetail if you hunt deer and want a 140-grain soft point with less recoil than the Precision Hunter. Pick the American Whitetail if you want a faster soft point that drifts less and kicks less. Pick the Precision Hunter if you want a flatter path and less wind drift and accept a little more recoil. For practice at the same bullet weight, Aguila's 140-grain FMJBT Target is a full metal jacket range load that kicks about 2 percent less in the same rifle.