That sucks. I'm sorry to hear about losing your deer. It's a hard thing to accept, but also a good time to reevaluate as you are doing and I have also done. I've got a couple questions if you don't mind to help the discussion.

Did you examine the bullet wound closely on the doe? Was there full penetration (exit wound) Did it look like the bullet expanded? How big was the exit? Were there any internal organs to look at for damage?

I also try to shoot right behind the shoulders but try to keep the bullet low so I catch the top of the heart or some of the large vessels (the bottom ~1/3 to 1/4 of the animal). Do you think you were up in the lungs? A lot of hunters will place it through the shoulders as it's hard to run with two messed up front shoulders and the bone often makes a lot of extra internal shrapnel.

After all that, each animal you shoot is an individual and they all behave differently. It's not uncommon for them to run a ways even with a good shot unless you make it impossible for them to run. The 460 should be a very hard hitting round, but bullet performance is always key. Have you done any terminal performance testing on the 200gn FTX with water jugs or the like or found reports of others who have at similar ranges? Any idea what your muzzle velocity is?



Also, are you shooting factory or reloading? If you reload, there is a lot of potential in your 30-30 hidden behind that old round nosed 150gn bullet. I think a reasonable max range for a 30-30 factory load in a 14" contender is 100-150 yards, but it really depends on the bullet performance at the given velocity at the target. If you reload, some of the lighter 300 BO bullets will give you effective ranges of up to 300+ yards, or if you're like me, much farther then you are willing to shoot.

Edit- Looking at the reviews and comments on the factory 200 FTX load on MidwXX.com it looks like they are split. Many say it works great while at least a few say it explodes on impact and doesn't penetrate. To me this sounds a little bit like the discussion around the Hornady XTP. They work great until they don't and then you are left wondering. IMHO, I would find a different bullet (I am partial to the Barnes). That all being said, bullets of all types fail on impact and none are perfect, that's why we have options and internet forums to beat decisions to death.