Only if you exceed the velocity the hardcast was designed to perform at. As soon as you push it fast enough to distort the shape and profile of the nose, you diminish the bullet's ability to penetrate deep and straight. So, when velocities go up, the Punch comes into its own.

A number of years ago, a good friend took his .50 Alaskan revolver to one of the Linebaugh Seminars. He shot the medium with a 525 grain WLFN at just under 1,600 fps. It went 51-inches. That very same bullet out of his .500 Linebaugh at 1,130 fps went 51-inches immediately following the .50 AK. With the hardcast bullet, you won't necessarily pick up any penetration by driving them faster. This is probably why the .500 Smiths haven't really fared well at the seminars as most folks insist on driving them so hard and if you exceed the limitations of the bullet, it won't penetrate very well. Sustitute the hardcast for the Punch and drive it faster and now we are talking about a different animal.

Keep the hardcast in the 1,200 fps range, and they will go end-to-end on nearly anything (assuming a good nose profile).