I don't know how applicable it would be in a hunting consideration but I can say that we shot the Buffalo Bore 180 hard cast during part of a science experiment my son did for 7th grade.

He shot the Buffalo Bore and a Swift 180 grain A-frame into wet phone books tightly bound together with bailing wire. The 180 grain cast bullet penetrated 19 inches worth of phone books and held together perfectly - cut a straight hole too. He got about 7 inches with the A-frame.

I am not worried about that particular cast bullet falling apart, but I do understand the volume over velocity argument.