I might want to have a sports car with a 400 HP engine even if I'm only going to use if for taking the kids to school and driving a suburban commute to work.

Maybe the poster wanted to have a rifle that COULD perform at the maximum realistic hunting range of 500 yards? Now we can debate what the maximum realistic hunting range is, but it seems to me I've read that many feel an elk hunter ought to be ready to take 300+ yard shots in some elk hunting environments. I've taken two elk -- one at about 50 yards and the other at maybe 200 yards. My hunting partners have taken 4 other elk at ranges between these yardage values while I was taking my two elk. But that doesn't mean that some times, somewhere someone may not be constrainted to a shot longer than this range.

I read that many think that the Winchester .338 Magnum is an excellent long range elk rifle. One book I read referred to it as the "King of the Elk Cartridges." I don't know if that is on point or not, but it makes me want to own one of these, maybe in a nice Winchester Super Grade with a 26" barrel. Sigh. Until my ship comes in, however, I will just have to keep killing elk with my .30-06.