Imagine a Hole saw. The hole saw action that occurs at points of entry into different mediums reduce initial drag which allow the hollow cavity in the center of the projectile to rapidly pack. In the case of plywood the hole saw action cleanly cuts and packs the projectile with a slug that makes it solid thus allowing it to conserve more of its energy. This performance could prove to be very effective for law enforcement that may be in a situation where the target is behind such an obstacle whereas more energy will be carried into the intended target and not lost in the obstacle.

In a fluid the projectile fragments. Due to the trocar geometry of each petal the resulting diameter of the fragmentation pattern is maximized. The trocar tips allow the fragments to swim through tissue / gel with less resistance thus conserving energy. The cross sectional thicknesses and geometries also create a full 180 degree flip halfway along each of the 8 petals path. The resulting shock wave and wound path is maximized. The result is devastating

There is a reason why all of the tier 1 tactical and hunting loads place a strong emphasis on weight retention when striking barriers and/or the target.

The shooting forums and blogs I follow all covered the RIP when it first hit the market. The consensus was that RIP was just a marketing gimmick.

Within a week, they were back to discussing whether their favorite top-shelf jacketed hollowpoint is or isn't 3% more effective than any of the other top-shelf jacketed hollowpoints.

Some of us enjoy bullet porn, thank you very much.

They all fall to hardball.