Wow this has been a pretty spirited discussion. I guess I might throw in my two cents.

For years I hunted with a .25-06 shooting 97gr and 110gr bullets and never lost an elk. Although they were all less than 150 yard shots and typically head or neck shots. My hunting partner begged me to go to a larger caliber but I was stubborn.

Well low and behold after I remodeled his basement for him he gave me a new rifle as a gift for remodeling his basement. He had done countless hours of research to find the ultimate big game round. So what he got me was a .338 Win Mag.

After much trepidation and resistance I took my new rifle hunting. We had also move to an area of hunting that extremely long shots were sometimes the only shot. After using my .338 I will never go back to the smaller round. Although the .25-06 is much more comfortable to shoot, I can shoot with confidence at long shots and know that the bullet has enough retained energy to kill the elk and not wound it. I now shoot the 225gr Trophy Bonded Bear Claw in the Federal High Energy load (boy is that more expensive than my old .25). I also used to hand load 225gr. Barnes X bullets also.

It would seem that every one on this page has there favorite caliber and bullet. What I would say is this, you need to first look at the terrain that you will be hunting in and decide if the .28 will do the job. My opinion is it will limit the type and distance of shot you will feel comfortable taking. Where as the .30-06 will give you more options.

The bullet is another story. The 180gr bullet has a much better sectional density and ballistic coefficient than the 175,150 or any other .30 bullet. It with carry more energy down range. I am also a firm believer in premium bullets. I hunt for meat and I hate to waste meat due to a bullet fragmenting or exploding. Really anymore all of the premium bullets do a good job of retaining most of there bullet weight for deeper penetration and less meat loss. If you don't load your own bullets I would seriously consider the Federal High Energy rounds, you will see about a 10 to 15% increase in bullet performance over even the best hand load. They are more expensive but it is not like you are plinking with them.

Thanks for your time