re: Ballistics question

The issue here is not actually the ballistics of the two rounds (w/ appropriate shot placement, the deer aren't going to know the difference between the two rounds), but bullet performance. The 280 Remington is as good a deer hunting round as there is....as long as the bullet performs appropriately. Of the deer you shot w/ the 280, at what distance were they shot? How far did they travel after the shot? Did you recover both deer? I understand your frustration since I, like you, put much value on a decent blood trail. I don't expect my deer to drop immediately, but I DO expect a decent blood trail.

The 180 gr 30-06 bullet is meant for animals usually bigger than our whitetail deer so it's designed to penetrate deeper.