The only "precise" ammo I have ever sought out were 22 LR. That was a combination of trial and error and reading what worked well for other people so I would try a particular brand. Once I found what worked well enough for me, I bought A LOT and often by the case when I could afford it. Cost was always important. But I never really shot bulk pack ammo over the years.
With centerfire ammo, i have never really gone into shooting precision for the most part. I practice when I needed to and it was fun, but usually there was a reason to practice.... hunting, self defense and so forth. Only 22 got shot indiscriminately and strictly for the joy.
For centerfire rifle hunting, the furtherest I ever shot was 100 yds (for deer). Did wood chuck hunt and shot out to about 250 yds. I mostly just wanted reasonable accuracy and was not target crazy. I shifted to handgun only for hunting after awhile and that was a hell of a lot of fun!