If it is going to be strictly for elk then I don' t think either one is the best choice. Both are adequate and you can pretty much flip a coin. I shoot a 300 Win Mag and I like it, but if I had it to do over again I would probably choose the 7mm Rem Mag since I really like 7mm bullets. Good penetration and a wide range of weights to choose from. As far as rifles go, hard to beat a Savage or a Ruger. Either one will make you want to throw that 710 in the trash where it belongs.