2 factors apply here. 1 what kind of country do you hunt, open, brushy, canyons etc. and the 2nd is how much recoil can you handle repetedly. a 06 is a elk killing machine under 200 yards and im sure has killed more elk then any other caliber. but when shooting out 300 to 400 yards you must get a bigger caliber. i have killed elk at 300 yards with my 7mm mag and would not hesitate to shoot 400. but i also practise at them yardages and know the drop of my bullets. a 300 or 338 are also excellent.i even have 1 freind who shoots a 375h&h mag but he wount shoot farhter then 250 with it. but you should see the elk drop. definately too much gun. on the other hand a 06 can be shot many times by women and younger hunter. and ive yet to see them shoot my hot loaded 7mm without flinching terrible. i say you must be able to shoot repeatedly because you must know your gun . in a hunting situation you will not feel the recoil of you gun. but to sight it in properly and get a feel for it you need to shoot at least 20 -30 shells a year.