My Bowning A Bolt .270 Winchester with hand loaded 150 gr hornady interlocks shooting at speeds of 2700 fps, is deadly out to 500 yds on a whitetail. My max distance is 400 yds and at that distance it still has 1153 lbs of energy.
I like the 150 gr bullet a little better than a lighter bullet as it seems to have better knockdown power when you hit them right. The longest shot I've taken on a whitetail is 250 yds and they were dead in 2 steps.
Both my bucks taken this year were with my .270 and one ran 50 yds shot through the heart and the next one was DRT shot at the base of the neck. There was no exit due to the angle of the shot (quarter to) but most shots have an exit hole about the size of a quarter.
I've never been disappointed when I walked up to a deer that the bullet hadn't done its job or more importantly that it did way too much!
The recoil on the rifle is very comfortable and I've never thought wow that thing kicks. When shooting an animal you never feel anything and the follow-up is easy. Yes, I've had to follow up a shot before.
Overall, I love my .270 and you can call it what you wish, but it's still my favorite deer rifle. I have total confidence in it and that's important.