Lady Arwen,

If you areconsidering those two cartridges instead of the earlier two magnums, then please go to the Big Game Section and look at the "Poll: Elk Cartridge Preference"....

http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=1459421&mpage=13&key=&#14951 201495120

I'd hate to see you compromising and choosing off of the "weakest end" of the que.
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I'd wholeheartedly recommend the 30-06 over the .270 (don't let someone sell you on a couple inches of trajectory over the frontal cross section, payload, versatility and "thump-ability" you get with the 30-06). Evenmost the died-in-the-wool 270 shooters will grant that the 30-06 is more versatile.

If you can tell the difference in recoil between them (which I'm betting you won't with correspondingly comparable bullets in each --- 150s in the 270 and 180s in the 30-06) then I'll be surprised. If you do notice a difference, thenyou can always use the next notch lower weight BarnesTSX bullets (165 grain instead of 180 grain)to reduce the recoil and still "delivercomparable goods" down rangeversus the heavier conventional lead bullets. I used to be a Nosler Partition fan (advanced, but lead core bullet) however, as of late, I have been using exclusively Barnes TSX.

(Barnes are solid copper instead of lead like most other bullets --- so the samephysical size of bullet weighs a bit less --- copper is less dense than lead---YET they penetrate like there is no tomorrow by retaining nearly all their weight and opening up into a 4 petal "cutting machine" as they pass in one side and out the other of the critter.)

So much for the "reduce recoil with lighter bullets but still save the day with Barnes" discussion. In closing....

A 270 is a downsized 30-06.
Elk are very much UPSIZED compared to deer!

We had a young lady, new, 100 pounds or so, and 14 get her first elk with us and she used a.... 30-06.
I'd recommend pickingsomething a notch or twoabove the weaker end ofthe que.