Clarification to my comments above regarding wound channel of the 230 not being excessive, as you would expect from a higher velocity, smaller caliber round...I don't have enough experience with this bullet to know if it gets splashy at close range, and didn't intend to indicate that. Either way, and for comparison, my wife has shot a few significantly large whitetail deer with the 160 eldx out of a 7mr, 2915 mv, at maybe 50 to 100 yards or so, and don't recall excessive damage therein. In fact, I can definitely say they didn't produce the damage on large deer as 70s era 150 gr. Sierra Game Kings out of a .308. We have also killed quite a lot of game in various calibers with the different varieties of Barns X bullets, quite a few Nosler Ballistic Tips, and Sierra Game Kings. Albeit possibly a fluke, the only bullet I have been disappointed with in 60 years of hunting/experimenting, was a 150 gr Accubond from a .308, which I recovered from a large (200lb field dressed) NE MO whitetail. That 75 yard shot hit the front part of shoulder, lower sloping part of spine, then through offside shoulder, but didn't exit. In fact, that is the only cup and core bullet I have ever recovered from a whitetail. The only other bullet I have ever recovered from a whitetail (all large) was a 53 gr. Barnes X bullet that, from a slightly above, straight rear shot, raked through about 17 inches of spine, several inches of neck, and stopped at the front side hide. l have never had anything not die within sight, from any X bullet, but I have also never seen anything even approach "explosive" or wide wound channel, from any X bullet. Having taken the long way around this issue, and relating all this back to the .338 230gr ELD-X, and generally speaking, I think the 230 would always produce a bigger wound channel than the Barnes bullets, but at long range the X loses its expansion potential, and consequently its wound channel production; and, at that point, and far beyond, the 230 gr., I believe, produces a respectable, useful, amount of expansion (and I assume, but never verified) penetration that is more similar to a Barnes X at much lesser ranges. Bottom line, I believe it should be a good LR bullet for .338WM. I wouldn't hesitate to use it on bigger game; although, I would like to know how it stays together at closer ranges. Further, because of its "less excessive" nature at distance, I would consider it good for edible game, to include those long range "hit bone" shots. And, albeit I do love my .223, 6.5CM, 7mm-08, 7RM, and .308 bolt guns there is just something about this cartridge I really like!
