Hey a di@% is a di@% no matter how you look at it. I have been hunting as long or longer than you and understand the responsibility of a hunter and try to match my caliber with my game. Large calibers actually make you a worse shooter unless you have spent the time. I think my 300WSM kicks less than my 06, or .308, but that is beside the point. There is no doubt that someone with your expertise and marksmanship could handle a large elk at any distance. But we were not talking about you. Hey with enough bullets and someone to help you with your misses you may get lucky. Just a bit of education, the confirmed snipes at 1000+ yards was man sized game (humans), not thick skinned, thick boned animals like an elk. And I guarantee you they were not using factory ammo. So back to the thread at hand (300WSM not .308). Using factory ammo, the 300WSM is far superior than a .308, and I own both. I am sorry that you are surprised, but oh well. And for your record, I can afford a 400 class bull, relatively speaking its not that expensive, and I have max points and should draw in the next year or so.