I don't shoot it a whole lot, but I always had good luck with either the 210 gr or 250 gr Nosler Partitions and Reloader 19 powder in my 338 . Just my preference, but I prefer to use the so called premium bullets in the magnum rifles that I own. I think you are right about shot placement though, and if you can put a traditional bullet behind the shoulder with a 338, I suspect your animal is going down!