Just before I had my Whelen built I had a tough time deciding between it and the 338-06. Looking at the data it seemed the 210 Partition did not get that much more speed than the 200 gr. Partition out of my 30-06's. What I really wanted was bore diameter and round nose bullets for close and medium range hog and elk hunting, the 35 W delivered but now RN bullets are not all that easy to come by but the Hornady and Speer 250 gr. bullets have yet to fail me. Those two at 2400 fps are good for just about any use.
The Whelen certainly filled your wish list.
When I was making the decision circa 1998-2000, I was moving up from a 270. 250gr projectiles were not part of the equation. Could I have just gotten a 30-06? Absolutely, but how boring would that have been?
I had already tried the Whelen and found it objectionable to shoot in the 700 Classic I owned, just as I found the 338Win Mag objectionable to shoot.
I can not imagine needing a 250gr out of my 338-06, if I thought I did, I would probably just grab my 375.
