ColoradoElk,

If you shoot it well and own it already, by all means take it on your hunt.

What's gained here though by the continual advice that "it's not enough"? Again, if you already own a .30-06 for your deer woods, why is there such consistent pressure to go out and buy a WSM/SAUM/RM/WM if you decide you're going elk hunting? You probably already shoot the .30-06 well enough? Wouldn't you be wiser taking that extra cash you'd otherwise spend on a rifle and try to do a bit of recon prior to hunting the area you waited so long to draw?

As well, starting out - what real sense is there in overgunning yourself. I watched a father try to buy his son (maybe 12 years old) his "first deer rifle" at the gun counter last weekend. In spite of the sales person's advice to look at something that fit the sonbetter than a long action (he was pushing a .308), dad insisted ona lightweight rifle and synthetic stockand either a7mm or .300 Mag, because "someday we're probably going to hunt elk". I see a marksmanship (flinching) problem in the making.

Are bigger cartridges really better? That depends. If you shoot a .243 for deer at home and are going to hunt elk, yes - a bigger cartridge wouldbe better, although it's been done. If you shoot something in the .270-30-06 class already, you're not undergunned for elk as you might think reading someof thethreads hereas long as you choose the proper bullet. Yes, a bigger cartridge might give you some peace of mind, but if you have to buy another rifle to achieve it, that must also be weighed as a cost-benefit. If you already own a larger cartridge/caliber, it's all moot. Whatever you choose to shoot, you MUST be able to shoot it well.