RE: 6mm Remington and elk
And, are not the "marginal shots" that result in lost game? If you knock the animal's leg out from under it with a bad shot from either a 6mm or a .300 magnum, is there a difference in what'll happen next? How about a gut shot? Is a "marginal shot" from a magnum going to compensate and knock the animal down?
I'd say in either case, put your walking shoes on, you may be in for a hike.
As far as "hunts of a lifetime"....Don't all hunts meet thatcriteria?I don't know about you, but it's notthe size of the antlers(or lack of them)or how much I paid someone for them (which I'm generally opposed to doing in the first place)that makes a hunt memorable. But hey, if it takes you a .505Gibbs to feel like you have enough insurance for that once-in-a-lifetime elk, by all means proceed.
But the obvious question though, if that ends up being a "once-in-a-lifetime" or "hunt of a lifetime"elk, does that mean you're done hunting them afterward? I would hope not.