This has been my experience as well. (Although not on nearly as many deer)
My buddy hunts with a .338wm on admiralty and I've seen that tear volleyball sized holes in those little blacktail.
What bullet?
I believe it was a Core-lokt, so admittedly not a great bullet. Either way, it was clearly one designed to break apart upon hitting something hard (the front shoulder) but out of the 338WM it was moving fast enough for some of the shrapnel to exit out the other side.
I keep showing him my small exit wounds with the monolithic bullets and I think I'm finally getting his attention.
