Terminal results are a combination of bullet performance, power, and placement, not just one or two, but all three factors.
Different combinations are effective depending on the animal, distance, conditions, rifle, scope, ammo, and shooter's proficiency.
What is effective for 90 or 100# doe may not be adequate for a 250# pig.
A bullet stout enough to shoot pigs through the shoulder may be too hard for a small doe shot in the lungs.
Nothing is good with a gut shot. Shots to the lungs are not as likely to produce DRT as a shot to the brain or thoracic spine.
Shots to the neck may produce paralysis, but I've seen too many deer very alive laying on the ground shot in the neck.
So, I am not a fan of placement to the neck.
I hunt deer and pigs, mostly in very heavy brush country, so not going to offer advice on hunting elk, Cape Buffalo, or Triceratops.
Here is an example of a 308 with 175 SMK's. I made the video after tiring of hearing posters say SMK's will not kill animals.
I've shot more than 100 in a row just like this with the same result - bullet to the brain and they fall over where they stand.
But, I would not use a 243 with a Ballistic Tip for that shot, nor a 300 Uber Zombie magnum either. The combo works because the rifle and bullet are capable of very precise placement and adequate penetration.
Over the last few years, the TTSX have become my first choice for hunting and they consistently provide excellent results in contrast to the TSX, which was inconsistent at best.
I really cannot stand to see animals suffer, so I am pretty reserved with taking a shot unless I have a high level of confidence in producing a DRT result. Does it always work? No, but the results are pretty consistent.
Here is a 308 with an Amax used to cull during our severe drought in 2011. Deer is slightly angled towards the shooter. Placement is 1/3 down from the top of the back, forward edge of the shoulder.
