Lead SWC was known to be an improvement over LRN before the era of magic bullets. I would think a WC would be moreso by some amount. They have been suggested for use in snubs and lightweights for recoil averse persons. Also the concern about HP expansion from snubs. Of course you can push that to the max but the downside is a handful to manage in a light snub. At worst a HP that does not expand probably is about the same as the SWC solid bullet for effect. Now most WC factory loads are pretty low power as paper is not very hard to poke thru. I and maybe most people handload WC bullets so you can push them over minimal target velocity but still don't want them too hot. I would say, for close range work they are better than anything that does not expand reliably probably if you need something that does not twist your wrist.