Back when I was using a .30-06 and .308 for my deer hunting, I knew how well that 180 Core-Lokt had been working on deer and tried to simulate it with something a little lighter when I was shooting a handloaded bullet through dry phone books tied together. A 165 grain Speer came close, but was no better. Then back in those days I tested the round nose Core-Lokt against pointed 180 grain Core-Lokt factory ammunition. The round nose was punching a thumb size larger opening through the first phone book that the pointed Core-Lokt didn't resemble until the third phone book exit. I forget how many more books the pointed Core-Lokt went through than the round nose, but it was at least several.
In a chart that Handloader Magazine published some years ago testing around 30 different 180 grain bullets side by side through wet paper medium I think they used. The round nose Core-Lokt was nearly the only one that mushroomed perfectly without losing it's lead core from 3,000. fps all the way down to 1,700 fps. Penetration through the medium went up when velocity went down as the mushroomed bullet's diameter was reduced. I ordered that chart from the author and commended him on all the extensive testing that he had done.
One other thing I'll add to this. Have you ever tried to eat a phone book? That's almost like comparing apples to oranges. Deer flesh or any flesh isn't the same as a phone book. When I was a kid or at least in my 20s a lot of people shot round nose ammo. And it killed as well or better than about anything else. The only draw back with round nose bullets is long distance. And that's not as limited as one would imagine. Nothing wrong with round nose for hunting. They work.
