I agree on the importance of bullet placement. Penetration is not as easily considered though. You cannot have penetration that will always be sufficient and no risk of over penetration at the same time. Even hollow point bullets may hit something behind your target (especially if they failed to find it). In my neck of the woods, hunters use FMJ to minimize the thread to the environment (expanding bullets are standard though). It is more predictable as it does not tend to create bullet fragments.
The effect of a hit will also largely depend on the target. Adrenalin may well keep an individual target keep going for several seconds even after a heart shot (ask an experienced hunter to get that confirmed). The only hit that will stop on the spot is a hit to a small part of the central nervous system. In a self defense situation it should be considered as nearly impossible. Be prepared for an adversary that will still be able to act after a hit. You will be appallingly close to the real life scenario.