The bullet that works at the widest velocity range, that I've found, is the accubond. 2000 fps impact speed gets me out to well over 600 yards, with my 338 rum and 225 grain accubonds. And...that bullet is tough up close. I shot a NM bull oryx at 67 yards, broadside, right through the upper leg joint, coming to rest under the hide on the opposite side just behind the leg, after going through a rib bone. Impact velocity was over 2900 fps, and the recovered bullet weighed 133.5 grains. That's the "hardest" test I've done with one, up close, and it retained almost 60%. Other bullets that I've recovered (less than half of the time), from elk and African plains game, average more like 65-70%.
The elk that I've shot with .338 accubonds (about a dozen) die quickly. Usually, dropping within 10 yards of impact....and, it's one bullet that I can break shoulders with OR punch through the ribcage, and get great results with either location. From point blank to about 500 yards, under ideal conditions.
The wife and I have killed quite a few elk with 200 grain accubonds, while doing combo deer/elk hunts, out of the 300 win. They work great too, but seem to open more quickly, and shed more weight on average.....perhaps having thinner jackets than the .338s? That would make sense to me, because the .308 bullets could be used in slower velocity cartridges...?
Dedicated "black timber" elk rifles that I use, are larger diameter bullets, with heavier constructed bullets. Those shots average about 50 yards, and seldom broadside.
Andy3
