Common trend here is that those who have had great success, for YEARS with them, love them. Those that have had a bad experience with them ONCE, hate them. Look throughout the threads on this forum, regardless of the bullet being discussed, the trend is the same. If you had one (name a bullet) that didn't pass through, didn't expand properly, blew apart, exploded on the shoulder,, missed the intended target, then there is a bias toward said bullet. Anyway, I'm a huge fan of Core Lokt bullets, and the Sierra game king, and the TBBC and most well produced factory bullets, as long as they are accurate in the rifle i am shooting. However all have "failed" so to speak, always recovered the animal, except that damn Gemsbok which was more likely human error than bullet performance. So did the other bullets actually fail if your target is dead?
I would tend to agree with you.
However the fact remains that there are badly designed bullets.
To the point of the manufacturer having to redesigning the bullet.
Case in point is the Hornady (unbonded) DGX.
Now I'm not saying the CL is a bad design.
As all things, it's good when used within it's parameters.
Most problems will occur when outside of these.
Low or high impact velocity, shot angle to severe...etc.
The fact is there is no "magic bullet".
That one size fits all and does everything.
Perfect expansion, penetration at all angles and speeds.
Bullet companies are paid to sell bullets.
Their marketing departments often are optimistic about claims.
So take anything from them with a grain of salt.
Actual hunters, like those of us on AH have real world experience.
Both good and bad with all kind of bullets, calibers and game.
And the bullet companies are listening.
This has lead to better R&D.
The performance window of modern bullets had expanded.
What I am saying is...
There are bullets with a larger performance window than the CL.
And for that reason, I no longer use them on game animals.
The bullets I now trust have been proven to me, by my own experiences.
Do you stay with the tried and true CL that has worked for you?
Are you hunting something different than you normally hunt?
Can you trust what others are saying about "better" bullets?
The choice is ultimately yours.
The internet is a wonderful place.
If you are looking to validate your opinion, it's out there.
If you are looking for actual FACTS, they are harder to find...but still out there.
