I've shot a 280 for about 20 years and my step dad has used his 30-06 for longer than that. The difference in recoil isn't noticeable to me unless we shoot stout loaded 180 gr. bullets in his 06. One cure could be to have a muzzlebrake installed on your 30-06 or buy a rifle chambered for 25-06. I use a 25-06 quite a bit for deer and hogs & the felt recoil is much less to me than the 30-06 or the 280. If you want to pursue elk with it use a Barnes 115 gr x bullet or the 120 gr nosler partition and place your bullets in the lungs and not the shoulders. You will need to wait for good broadside shots. The 25-06 with partitions is what my Granddad's best friend used for better than 30 years and he's taken a ton of elk to prove it can be done.