I never shot an elk with my 300 Wby but I will say that it likes Barnes Triple Shocks. The point of impact was similar to soft nose bullets of the sameweight also so I didn't have to spend as much money getting "on the paper". The 150 grain Barnes will weigh more than a 180 grain Nosler by the time it gets half way through the elk. 168 should be fine if they shoot well from your rifle. I use RL22 in my rifle for most loads and have good luck.