Fellla's;
In response to most of the above, there's several points to make. Yes, the .338 Winchester magnum is indeed overkill for the stated task of killing deer. Which is not to say that it can't do so in a very effective manner. But, that effective manner requires some thought and preparation on the shooter's part. The .338 WM is a very effective long-range cartridge, but it's a very rare deer that gets shot at more than 300 yards. Many .338 rounds are at or near 4000 lbs. of muzzle energy, two tons! Therefore, if your shot is at short range, pick your shot carefully or suffer the consequences. The Siamese twin to the previous statement is to also pick the bullet carefully. Bullet manufacturing technology has progressed a very great deal in the last quarter-century, but nonetheless, there are better and poorer choices to make. When thinking of deer, factor both the bullet and the range into the shot. Also keep in mind that there can be other circumstances that will affect the performance of the round. I've no doubt that using a bullet meant for dangerous game, I could shoot through a small tree at a hundred yards and kill the deer standing on the other side of it. But would I carry that load in a normal hunting situation in the Michigan woods? No, I don't think so. Neither would I pick the lightest bullet I could if my expected shot was in excess of 500 yards. The relatively light weight and lower B/C would surely mitigate against proper terminal performance at a longer range regardless of increased muzzle velocity.
All-in-all though, I'll stick with my original post. Load an accurate 225 grain bullet with a muzzle velocity in the 2700 -2800 fps range, and odds are very good it'll do the job asked. If you give some thought as to how let the bullet do it's job properly.
900F