hi Hunters, and loaders !
i am in process to get a .338 WM rifle ( out of german parts), and it is to hunt from Roe to red Dears + Elks and Wilkd boras .. perhaps bears as well .
what are the recommended Ammo from the shop meeting the "killing criterias" : Precision at 200 m, + killing efficiency ??
Every one has own experience ..
I've been shooting a 338wm for a few years. I've shot 180's to 275's with it, mostly Nosler Partitions and Swift AFrames for game and Hornady Interlocks for practice. Over time I've settled on 250 grain bullets as my tool of choice.
Out to 200 yards I have not experienced too much difference in accuracy or ability to kill game cleanly. With proper shot placement critters die fast. Where I have noticed a difference is after 200 yards. The 250's seem to drift less than the lighter bullets and accordingly the point of impact is more predictable. I think the predictability of the POI is why I just shoot the one bullet weight.
On game, with the few bullets I've recovered, the heavier bullets seem to hold together better and penetrate deeper. So far it's taken moose. elk, grizzly, black bear, deer, wolf, coyote. All of them with the exception of one large miserable black bear died quickly and cleanly. The black bear had no lungs or heart left and he still had the poor manners to come for me. I don't view that one animal as a failure of the cartridge, rather I've found every so often bears can just be ill natured.
I'm a double lung guy and as such I have not experienced much meat damage with the 250's; in fact I've found the 250's seem to create less blood shot than smaller faster bullets in meat.
Each to their own and what works for them - for me with a 338wm it's 73 grains of H4831 under a 250 grain Swift A Frame.
