Shot placement is more important than bullet construction, that and some times animals just don't want to die quickly.
There are exceptions to that rule. I have in recent years seen firsthand bullets that came apart on the onside of animals and never made it to the vitals. So bullet construction in my humble opinion is critical. If one chooses a premium bullet, it's just one less thing you have consider or worry about. JMHO.
I don't mean to ignore the importance of bullet construction. The point I was trying to make is a well constructed expanding bullet and a well contructed cast or mono metal ogival wadcutter can both be effective killers on game. That said, shot placement is paramount, and it also plays into what bullet one chooses.
I think most of us will agree that on a broadside shot into the heart/lungs with no bones hit, we'd expect an expanding bullet that exits to be a better choice than the flat nosed solid. Conversely on a quartering shot or a shot that encounters heavy bone that would compromise the penetration of the expanding bullet, the solid is a better choice. Fringe shots, maybe the expanding bullet is better if it does more damage to edge of the vitals, or maybe the solid is better as it has the penetration to do more damage.
Perhaps we can also agree that with most handgun rounds there simply isn't enough power to get both deep penetration and a large wound channel as one would with a rifle. So one has to trade off penetration for wound channel. One also has to trade off certain shot penetrations depending on the bullet they choose.
There is no one perfect answer and every hunt and every animal is somewhat unique.
