In my experience larger diameter projectiles of heavier hit harder, you actually hear the difference. That being said doesn’t means kills quicker. Once a large enough hole through the heart to instantly bring the blood pressure to zero is as equally effective as larger hole.
Probably true, but what I like about the heavier or the tougher bullets is that one can break heavy bone and muzzle after passing through the lungs, and drop large animal right there. I have done that to moose several times. The only problem when the shoulder bone is broken is that rolling the moose to skin and remove the legs, then the neck and rib meat, and finally the back straps from one side and then the next, the broken leg makes it a little more difficult. We tie a rope or the winch cable near both hooves at the far side, and roll the moose toward the ATVs.
By the way, I could be wrong, but I don't think small animals such as caribou and deer offer much resistance to the tip of the heavier .338 bullets. The bullets may expand, but not as much as one would think. I believe that for caribou and deer a lightweight bullet around 185 grains-driven fast-is a better choice. The heavier bullets, unless driven very fast, may not expand as much on small game past 200 yards. I could very well use a much smaller gun to hunt caribou, but instead I just have enough ammo for different uses, and so far that has worked.
I remember a time when a friend of mine while checking his trapline asked me to shoot a large marmot that was very much alive, but caught in one of the traps (I also had a trappers license). Anyway, he told me, "don't worry about it, because that 230-grain FS in your chamber is not going to expand." Sure enough...I shot the thing from about 75 yards away, and it didn't even moved, so I thought that I have missed. He said, "don't shoot again. It's dead," and when we looked at it there was a very small entrance and exit hole. I would have had to force a pencil through it just to make the hole larger. I always remember that shot, because it was hard for me to believe that the poor thing would not blow up when the bullet hit.
Again, I could be wrong.
