"....When hunting big critters, use the biggest gun you can shoot well!"
Okay, you're doing okay, a basic truism.
"....A good hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a 458 mag...."
Arghhh, the old "polar extremes" fallacy.All or nothing, one way or the other.I would say on truly big game a clean miss with ANYTHING is abetter situation than a hit with a .22! (Say a 700# 5x5)
"....most hunters can handle a 308 pretty well...."
I'd say even mostjuvenilles should be able to handle a .308 pretty well.
Most healthy adult hunters (and younger oneswith attitude)shouldhandle the 375 H&H pretty wellif they are so inclined to learn and chose to apply themselves to that mission. [and avoid 7.5 pound rifles] Americans as a whole live pretty sheltered lives.
BTW .308 will work on elk --- a reasonable starting point within limitations, especially for beginners or non-progressors. Probably not the choice of folks that consistentlywant lots of flexibility in taking their shot opportunities and those who want more consistent anchoring oftheir game.