ORIGINAL: wjyarkiell
the 300 win mag is not needed for hunting. yea it might be nice to be able to shoot elk at 500+ yards or so, but come on who actually will take a shot at 500+ yards at an elk while still hunting fair chase? Most hunters wont shoot anything past 200 yards, or that is the preferable range, or closer. Any elk at 300 yards will go down to an '06 just fine, provided good shot placement. the 30-06 has been doing it for... oh almost 109 years now, i think it will be just fine.
One could argue that nothing more than a 30-30 is "needed" for any game in North America but that's not the point -- some will do things better than others so it's all relative.
If you are going to hunt elk within 400 yards, a 270 or 30-06 will do the job fine. So will dozens of other rounds. If you have the equipment, skills, and need to shoot further, the equation changes and a 300WM becomes extremely attractive. For people who may only get to hunt an animal like elk once every few years, one may be prudent to be prepared to take what shots are offered, even if the desire is to see the whites of their eyes.
I stalked hard for an hour to get within 80 yards of my bull this year....but couldn't get a clear shot. Found him again the next day at 600+ yards in a situation where we could not get in closer on him, fortunately I had a 300WM and not a 270 and the equipment/practice for the job. The local that was with me helping me get in on the bull told me if that had been him with his 270, he would have just turned and gone home and drank to the one that got away because it would have been beyond his gun and ability and it was not stalkable. Difference is he could have gone back out the next weekend, I may not draw again for 3-4 years. IMHO that's the primary reason many destination hunters opt for more firepower than the locals think necessary (though I'd argue many of them don't put the practice time and effort necessary into mastering the use of said firepower).