You are on the right track, while lead could slow down the typical wolfling, silver is the key. Applying it is a whole different ballgame. A bullet or shot will be on average 'Lycans' effective so long as you have the the advantage of being on the offensive, medium to short range, and in numbers.
However, the situation is not always ideal. Especially when you don't know exactly where your target is and that tense music starts playing louder every step you take. Today's werewolves are not those old film black & white scrawny bipedal hounds. Along with human intelligence, they have lightning reflexes to go with their superior strength but most notable is their keen sense of smell. They can smell you coming inside 500 meters. And that is well outside handgun and shotgun range and they can close that range very fast.
That's why my favorite technique is a silver 50 Cal bullet(s) in a Barrett sniper rifle at a distance of at least 1000 meters, maybe more if you haven't showered lately or tend to sweat a lot in scenes of tension. A useful accessory will be a FLIR IR 100x scope. Werewolves can be in packs, always determine the alpha to take out first, head shot preferred. The pack will become temporarily disorganized giving you a chance to take out a second and third before the pack disperses.
Aftermath; assess and secure area. I'd use a large silver Bowie knife to finish off the werewolf and extract the valuable bullet, at 10 troy oz a pop, I better get the bullet back.
I hope this advice can be useful to you and your readers.
Your friends, the Vampires. 🦇
