Hornady markets the American Whitetail 154-grain for large game and for whitetail deer season. It uses Hornady's InterLock soft point, a jacketed lead-core bullet with exposed lead at the nose, rated at a G1 BC of .433. It leaves the muzzle at 3,035 fps and still carries 1,978 ft-lbs at 300 yards.

Compared with Hornady's Superformance 154-grain SST, the same weight with a polymer tip, the American Whitetail starts 65 fps slower and falls behind at distance. At 500 yards, a steady 10 mph wind blowing across the range pushes the American Whitetail about 20 inches sideways and the SST about 15, and zeroed at 100 yards it drops about 46 inches at 500 against about 41 for the SST. Compared with Hornady's Outfitter 150-grain CX, a lead-free copper alloy bullet, the American Whitetail is close downrange: the same wind pushes the CX about 19 inches at 500 yards. The CX kicks about 6 percent less in the same rifle.

Buy the American Whitetail if you hunt whitetail deer at moderate ranges and want a plain soft point. Pick the Superformance SST if your shots may run long; Hornady markets it for large game, and it flies flatter. Pick the Outfitter CX if you need a lead-free bullet or want a little less recoil; Hornady builds it for areas "requiring nontraditional bullets." If you want a polymer tip at 150 grains from another maker, Winchester's Ballistic Silvertip 150-grain is a polymer-tipped hunting bullet that Winchester markets for big game.