It would have been nice if Mr. Hawks had used the same weight rifle for all those cartridges. I suspect the .308 would still kick slightly harder than the 7mm-08, even if in the slightly heavier rifle. Of the three, I like the 7mm-08 best. Excellent compromise between recoil and down range power. As you can see from the ballistics I posted above, despite having a slight advantage at the muzzle, the .308 already has less energy than the 7mm at 100 yards. It takes a while longer for the 7mm-08 to pass the .270, but, it does, at about 300 yards... The .270 is a little flatter shooting, but, by only a couple inches at 400 yards.

For deer, I give the 7mm the edge. Elk become a slightly different story as the 140 gr 7mm and the 150 gr. .308 become more marginal, and the .308 with heavier bullets available over the counter gets a slight edge. I'm sure the 7mm-08 will still do the job, if you wait for the right shot. But, most folks seem to prefer a slightly heavier bullet for elk (although some folks on here have used 100 gr. .243's with success).

I use my 7mm-08 for deer and hogs, using the 140 gr. Remington PSP's, so haven't even looked at whether there are any "premium" bullets available. Generally, it's hard enough finding the Remmy green boxes, so EVERY time I'm at the store and see some, I pick up a couple boxes. I've probably got enough now for several lifetimes of deer seasons... The .270 and .308 get a bit of an edge in ammo availability.

I, too, am recoil averse. One of the reasons I love my .243. The 7mm is comfortable for me. Whereas my buddy's .270 was significantly less so... very close to my .30-06, and maybe a tad "sharper." My experience with a .308 has been in my much heavier M1A National Match rifle, so, a felt recoil comparison doesn't really correlate to my Model 700s.

All that being said.... I'd get the 7mm-08 without hesitation, and try to keep elk shots within 250-300 yards...