Jorge,
The larger caliber TSX's do perform well on larger game. This is partly because they penetrate deeply, but also because they're larger caliber in the first place, and the hollow-point is also much larger than in smaller calibers, especially below 30. The big hollow-point provides much more reliable expansion, and the wider bullet more damage.
They also work very well when started fast in medium-caliber magnums, say from 7mm to .33. But I don't find they kill better than various lead-core premiums, and often not as well. They do exit more often, but as Bob hinted at, that might be due the tendency of the petals to cut through hide--which the rounded mushroom of a lead-core bullet often doesn't.
I certainly haven't found any Nosler Partitions stopped in the middle of animals, rather than under the hide on the off-side. As a matter of fact, in looking at my hunting notes on hundreds of animals, a higher percentage of Partitions have exited than the petal-type bullets.
This might be due to using heavier Partitions than the petal-type bullets, though, or shooting a lot of deer-sized game with Partition. I haven't broken down that aspect as much as I could yet--but will note that the last Cape buffalo I shot had a good-sized exit hole from the 400-grain .416 Partition. The 400 Partition is one of those designed to retain more weight. The two I've recovered in the past decade averaged 89%.
I haven't noticed all that much advantage in the TSX (or other 100% weight retention, petal-type bullets) in game from elk-size down. Here, once again, I'm talking about how quickly they kill, not how much weight they retain or exit holes.
In calibers from .30 down I've become more fond of lead-cored bullets in the past few years, even plain old soft-points, as they ALWAYS expand, unlike the monos.
One of my editors recently made this comment on the Cutting Edge Non-Conventional: "So they reinvented the Nosler Partition." I wouldn't quite go that far, but have been testing some of the Cutting Edge bullets and hope to come up with some firmer conclusions soon.
By the way, I have shot lengthwise through animals with Nosler Partitions, on several occasions. Sometimes the bullet didn't exit but it ended up at the far end of the animal.
