The only thing dead about my .338 is the game it shoots. I find it excellent for putting meat in the freezer. With the load I shoot , 70gr 4831, and a .225 gr Nosler Partition or a Hornady Interlock, very little blood shot meat, just match the bullet to the game, Nosler for elk and large black bear and the Hornady for smaller. Most of the time it'll do like Ol'Elmer said and you can eat right up to the bullet hole. As far as gun writers ,met some years back most were hacks with a typewriter and their hand out for freebies, very few were really knowledgeable, they were rare they were handy for advertising that's all. These ones run off like little kids because it's new and shiny, as far as the AR I couldn't care less about them or the "platform". Here in US it's much easier to find components for the .338 than the .318, same for the metric cartridges.