The most disgusting chapter in my hunting career of late was thanks to a poor shooter and fancy Winchester XP3s .270s. After blowing a leg off a deer with the first shot and crippling the poor buck with the second, I finished him off with a cheapo CoreLokt.

I asked when the last time was that he took his rifle out and practiced. He showed me his fancy box with a $40+ label still on it and said, "with ammo this expensive, I can't afford to practice".

My point is simply this - if you intend to use any of those fancy boxes hunting, plan to burn up one or two pre-season becoming proficient with them. Premium bullets won't make up for poor shooting. Conversely, a competent rifleman can often take game cleanly with othewise "inadequate" calibers, or with "cheap" bullets.

And yes, your .270 is absolutely adequate for elk. Good hunting.