A first and second place in Who's mind. Like I said it will always come down to one person or anothers personel opinion. There is more to being a good hunter than the numbers. In fact they may have the least to do with success than any other factor. I have guided a lot of hunters who had the nunbers but not much else.Find 20 expierenced elk hunters and ask them what the best caliber is. You will probably get at least 10 different answers. I would agree with Stubble in that a 300 Mag may be the best choice when it comes to everything concerned. They shoot flatter than most of the bigger mags and have all the ME needed to take elk. With that I will leave it up to the rest of you to hash it out. Good Luck to all this season.