I would imagine that there are plenty of irresponsible hunters out there with man portable, shoulder fired, mini howitzers to keep folks writing about them for the next ten years. I' m talking about those that take the long shots under bad conditions and wound or miss game no matter what they are hunting. To call it irresponsible to use a .30-30 for Elk is at best a blanket statement attempting to cover all bases without consideration of the circumstances. Under 100 yards there is no reason that the .30-30 shouldn' t be adequate for Elk, under certain circumstances it is probably better suited than some of the faster rifles in .30 caliber as well. Stalking skills, shot placement and yes, the ability to back off from a questionable shot are far more important than bullet weight and velocity.
Never go under gunned? Tell that to the old Elephant hunter that killed over a thousand Elephants with his .260 magazine rifle in the days when the .500 Nitro Express was considered the minimum required for the job.
No, I have never hunted Elk and if ever given the opportunity I will not be using a .30-30, but whatever I use you can rest assured I will be able to shoot it under any circumstances and will get as close to my target as possible before touching off a round.