Since the elk is such an extremely dificult animal to put down with a bullet (I think they wear armor now) I would go with the 338-378 Weatherby mag. Heck I could take one at 700 yards if need be (Only with a perfectly placed shot right behind the shoulder) and for those really close shots it would be just enough to get through the shoulder bone to break it. I would probably still need a follow up shot though.