So, let's see what we've got so far.
Premium bullets are better designed these days. Most are made with a specific job in mind and are robustly constructed to handle dangerous game. With the exception of hunting deer in areas where there is a threat of being attacked by a large, testy carnivore, there still doesn't seem to be any technical reason for using them that I've read so far.
Their special construction - partitioned, bonded or homogenous - adds to the cost. If deer are your target, I'm still at a loss to understand any technical reason to use them.
WRT accuracy, I think it's far to say that premiums are running neck and neck with cup and core bullets. I know that one brand may prove to be "the bee's knees" in your rifle, but overall, they offer nothing extra that way.
I suspect that some people simply like their look - in the same way that consumers find one brand of automobile more visually appealing. Or (gasp!) is it snob appeal?
Is the fact that they are more expensive, guarantee success in your mind? Do you believe that hitting a whitetail at 100 yards with a Partition versus a Core Lokt increases the odds?
Perhaps using a premium bullet inspires your confidence.
This last possibility is often overlooked. Mental conditioning is just as important as your rifle/ammunition. Some would argue what you think about your equipment is more important. The power of positive thinking, IOW.
Good stuff but you left out one reason for using a premium that several have mentioned: simplicity in multi-speciies hunt opportunities. Dangerous game is a different factor.
One poster said it well: "I tend to work up a hunting load with one great bullet and use it for everything, deer included."
For deer alone I would not bother with a premium. But when hunting a place where in the course of a day I may shoot anything from whitetail to moose and elk, I load for the big critter and overkill anything else.
When an opportunity came to hunt little coastal blacktails for a day in mid-season, I killed a small blacktail buck with a 180 grain Swift A-frame, at a range of 15 feet. Overkill to the point of almost funny, but it worked, he tasted good, and no adjustment back and forth to load, sighting in etc. needed. In such a context, I don't think there is any snob nor other appeal for me other than that it keeps things simple.
