Winchester markets its Deer Season XP 140-grain for deer hunting, the job the line is named for. It uses Winchester's Extreme Point, a polymer-tipped hunting bullet with a lead core. It leaves the muzzle at 3,100 fps with 2,988 ft-lbs of energy. Its two closest rivals use the same 140-grain bullet weight, so the choice comes down to speed, recoil and bullet design.

Compared with Remington's Core-Lokt 140-grain PSP, a conventional pointed soft point, the Deer Season XP starts 75 fps slower and carries 145 ft-lbs less at the muzzle. The Core-Lokt also kicks about 3 percent harder in the same rifle, a small difference. Compared with Federal's Vital-Shok 140-grain Trophy Bonded Tip, a polymer-tipped bonded bullet, the Winchester starts 50 fps slower and kicks about 2 percent less.

Buy the Deer Season XP if deer are what you hunt and you want a polymer-tipped bullet with slightly less recoil than either rival. Pick the Core-Lokt 140-grain PSP if you want the faster start; Remington markets it for big game. Pick the Vital-Shok Trophy Bonded Tip if you want a bonded bullet that Federal markets for "the full spectrum of medium and big game." If you want a copper bullet with no lead core, Barnes' VOR-TX 140-grain TTSX starts at the same 3,100 fps and kicks the same. HSM's Trophy Gold 180-grain Berger VLD carries a bullet 40 grains heavier, but it kicks about 50 percent harder.