Trip, I think Lycanthrope's comment sums it up pretty well. I've read the same sort of commentary.
We had a discussion here a few years back about various bullets and their intended performance plus what folks had discovered in the field. I emailed the Sierra folks, and one of them joined in.
For instance: I've had excellent accuracy from all Sierra bullets, from .22 on to .30. Flat base or boat tail: All performed very well. Uniformly tight groups in .223, Swift, .243 and '06.
But: The .308 150-grain SPBT has a thinner jacket than the same bullet in flat base. If you drive it above some 2,900 or so, it will blow up at close range, as I discovered on a big mule deer. It was a neck shot at no more than 30 yards, so he never moved--but there was no exit wound. My guess is that had the muzzle velocity been no more than maybe 2,800, and the buck had been out at 100 yards or more, there would have been full penetration and an exit wound.
I've used that load on deer at 200 and more, and it's always been DRT with an exit wound, even on chest shots.
The same problem does not exist with the Sierra 180-grain SPBT; thicker jacket.
Anyhow, it helps to look at cutaways of the various bullets, and consider the particular performance you can expect--as well as the probable ranges to your desired critter. Lotsa variables.
Art