Jacketed HP's out of a handgun can do some funny things. I've told this story before, but I'll tell it again. Used to hunt deer with my 6" S&W 686 .357 Magnum. Selected the Winchester 145gr SilverTip HP round. Killed 2 deer with it with the classic "thru the ribcage" shots. Well, one morning I was hunting out of my tree stand when I heard a shot and a deer came limping up to me and lay down under my tree stand. I figured I would dispatch it for the guy who shot it. So, I aimed at the back, angling down into the chest cavity. At the shot, the deer got up and ran off. I was astounded, as I felt good about the shot. In the afternoon, I was on the ground in a nearby area hunting with my shotgun, when a limping deer came by and I shot it. Dressing the deer out revealed a perfectly mushroomed .357 SilverTip bullet that failed to penetrate beyond the heavy fat and gristle above the back. Needless to say, I quit using that round for deer hunting and have zero faith in jacketed HP's for penetration. If you must use a jacketed bullet, I recommend a softpoint. I still shoot HP's, but they are cast HP's where I control the alloy used and thus am able to ensure penetration. Oh, and I moved up in caliber to the .45 Colt.
Don