I was thoroughly impressed with the effects of my dad's 7mm Rem. Magnum on deer within 200 yards. Whether the shot was at 40 or 180 yards, the deer seemed to drop almost instantly even when hit in the upper lung area (in those cases, it appeared the shock caused damage to the spine in addition to the vitals). In other cases, it was a clear case of hydrostatic shock. This was not with a special bullet design---just Federal Powershoks, which are your normal, unbonded soft-point.
I've had impressive performances with my .308 Win., but excepting cases in which I hit the CNS, it was clear the animal expired from rapid blood loss, not hydrostatic shock.