That's very odd that that 7mm bullet didn't pass through. Maybe hit ribs on both sides? I used a 270 ADL in college and after until I could afford a better gun. I shot the standard 130 grain Remington bullets and they almost always ended up in the hide on the far side. The nice thing about the bullet that stays in the body cavity is that it shreds both lungs. None of those elk went more than about fifty yards. I now shoot a 300 Browning A-bolt with 180 grain Nosler partitions. They usually pass through unless I hit bone. The elk often go farther now than they did with the 270, especially on shots under a hundred yards. Sounds like a great hunt. Montana?