NorthernMaine-
Lots of sound advice in the replies above… there is a great group of folks here, with a great knowledge base!
As you get more experience, I would encourage you to get a powder measure and some loose powder, and try load development using smaller smaller charge increments.
Using a powder measure, or especially pre-measured charges you poured up at home, largely negates the “speed/convenience” factor that favors pellets…
Think of driving a car that will
only go 30 mph for the city, or 70 mph on the freeway. What if you want to go 50 mph, on a scenic country drive? “Can’t do it.”
It’s a similar situation, limiting yourself to pellets.
By sticking with pellets, you’re limiting your ability to develop a load in the “sweet spot“ for your rifle… accuracy, power, recoil. With loose powder you can “tune” your load in smaller increments, say 5 grains, vs. 50 grain increments.
Make no mistake- I’ve used pellets, including harvesting deer with them. I still have some pellets, and fool around with them once in a while. I’ve got nothing “against” pellets, but in the long-term, you’re potentially limiting your results, especially with regard to accuracy.
In related news- from a “power” perspective, I don’t see any need to go above 100 grains of powder for the short ranges you have planned.
“Have a blast!“
Edit: I made the assumption that you’re going to be hunting whitetail deer. Obviously, moose would be a different scenario!