When I first started shooting my Big Bore double rifles I thought I that softs would be the Primary load, With a few Solids "here and there".
I WAS WRONG.
In Zimbabwe 2004 I fired a total of 17 rounds of 450 No2, only 3 rounds being softs. With those 17 rounds I killed 2 buff and 3 elephants.
The only animals I would be shooting with the 450 No2 That would necessitate a soft would be lion and the first shot [or two] at buff.
The rest would require sollds.
Based on My first trip to Zim Solids are In much higher demand than Softs.
I must admit that the above is baised on my peresonal hunting preferences.....
Elephants.
But if you think about it the 0nly big game you need soft pionts on is lion and the first shot on buff.

In WDM BELL'S Memours he makes mention in his early days of hunting in africa of using soft points in a.450 (if my memory serves me correctly) on a Lion the soft points failed him misrably. He there after stresses the use of solids on dangerours game both in the smaller calibers he became famours for & the larger cals that mere mortals like ourselves choose to use. Even on Water bufflow with both 4570 &375H&H (& at times with .303 british ) I always chose solids &and only on 1 or 2 occations did I get any complaints from my targets

I have used a lot of both softs and solids as I love to test out new and interresting bullets, but I have to agree, the solid is the bullet in a big bore for the most part..

I like the flat nose solids much better than round nose solids..and as most know I am totally sold on the Northfork cup point as the only bullet to use in any big bore rifle....It is an expanding solid or sorts, expands a bit but maintains that solid penitration...Maybe it won't penitrate quite as much as a solid but its close enough for government work on any day and it will give you two BIG holes on any broadside shot on a Cape Buffalo at least 98% of the time it appears......

A good flat nose solid (or cup nose solid) eliminates the need for softs, and they penetrate deeper and do more damage than traditional round nose solids.