There are aton ofthings your gonna hear about this subject; here are the three that are the most true 1)a 270 will kill elk 2)it is NOT the idealcaliber 3)this 270/elk subject is probably THE most controversial subject on these boards. #3 should tell you something. My advice is if you can afford a 7mag or 30-06 or BIGGER use it. If recoil is a problem the 7mm-08 or similar short action is probably a better choice because the 270 will kick you nearly as bad as the 06 will and not deliever the extra umphto the elk.