It's usually a trade-off. With lighter weight bullets, you can push them faster. While heavier bullets move slower, they tend to penetrate more. I have conducted extensive personal testing with various weights of different brand .45ACP hollow points.
I was prompted by purchasing a 3" STI. With shorter barrel lengths comes lower velocities. Since velocity is what causes hollow points to expand, I wanted to guarantee that the bullets coming out of my short 3" barrel would perform the way they were intended.
So I bought boxes of:
230 gr Remington Golden Sabres
165 & 230 gr Federal HydraShoks
200 gr Hornady XTP's
165 gr CorBon Pow-R-Balls
I fired half the boxes through a chrono and put a full magazine of each into a pickup bedliner filled with water (on the ground, not in the truck).
Out of all of these, the Golden Sabres, while still expanding correctly, were POOCHES averaging a little over 800 fps. They also had the widest variation. I believe the fastest was around 847, the majority were around 820-830 and one was even around 775. I could fire one, go make a sammich, then come back to see the splash. POOCHES.
The 230 gr Hydra-Shoks were also a little slow around 900 and while they expanded, they didn't do so FULLY. The 165 gr Hydra-Shoks were a little faster towards 1000, and while expanding fully, they tended to shed their copper jacket.
The 200 gr Hornady's were HOT around 1150-1200 fps and expanded fully, and while I thought the 165 gr Pow-R-Balls were a little hyped on their 1350 fps label on the box...THEY WEREN'T LYING. I got several 1200-1250 readings out of my 3". (I imagine I'd have no problem hitting the advertised 1350 out of a full sized barrel.)
Therefore, I imagine I'd get a little better penetration out of the heavier 200 gr. Hornady's than the 165 gr. Pow-R-Balls even though they're a scosh slower, but I took other factors into consideration as well. I like the polymer round nose of the Pow-R-Balls when it comes to reliablitly in a 1911. The fact that there is no hollow-point profile or bullet lip to cause feed problems against the ramp, barrel throat, or chamber ceiling is comforting to me. It feeds like a round nose. Technically, it is. The plastic stuff just melts on impact also ensuring reliable expansion. Therefore, my choice has been to put a 200 gr Hornady in the pipe (no worries about feeding...it's already in there) for penetration on the first shot, followed by 165 gr Pow-R-Balls waiting in the loaded mag and the spare on my hip for reliable feeding and expansion. (Although I had no problems with the Hornady's expanding, either.)
All in all, I think ANY round you carry will be good as long as YOU are comfortable with them. While Golden Sabres aren't my personal choice, I don't think they are bad. They were just too slow for MY personal choice out of a 3" barrel. If you carry a full size firearm, you might get better performance that meets your standards. As with anything, we each have to make decisions based on our own personal "equipment tests" and preferences. Do what YOU are comfortable with for YOUR reasons.
When I carry my XDm .40, It's loaded with Winchester RA40T's (Ranger-T's.) They are AWESOME expanders and that particular pistol LOVES them as I can hold a quarter sized group at 25 feet...unsupported. Other rounds don't seem to hold such a tight group out of that pistol. Completely different standard from my 1911: Accuracy.
Out of my 1911, there wasn't enough variation in accuracy between the different brands to warrant a choice based on that variable. But in my XDm? The Winchesters noticeably outperformed the others. I dunno. It just likes them. Therefore, I chose them based on that variable rather than feed characterisics.
Same with anyone else. They're going to have to decide their own preferences based on the characteristics important to them.
I forgot to add that the brass jacket on the Golden Saber was actually stuck in the second water jug on the exit side.
