This is where things get challenging, and it's never a good indicator when someone wants a cartridge that won't vaporize a deer, but can still take on an elk at 600 yards or a charging grizzly. Maybe it's a good thing that the Wooly Mammoth is no longer found in North America?

I've read RR's posts over the years and had the same argument with him myself. That notwithstanding, he can talk in a language foreign to most guys who buy themselves a .338 LM and a long piece of glass and then anoint themselves as "long-range hunters." His vocabulary tends to be more what I hear in the long-range competitions I've participated in. He talks the talk, he's hunting deer, and I don't have much cause not to believe that he's capable of what he says he does.

But, we're not talking deer at the moment. If anything, elk are tenacious. Far, far more tenacious than anything else I've ever hunted. Over the years, I'm sure I've seen more wounded elk lost than I have deer or pronghorns. In almost every instance, I would cite "hunter overconfidence" in their equipment as a contributing factor. It's unfortunate that the same level of attention isn't paid to their skills as a shooter or as a hunter. If RR were to come out west and were armed with something more suitable for long-range elk, he'd probably do okay if he found a shooting lane that long. However, most "neophytes" (lol) have little to no business taking long pokes at elk with any chambering. Anyone can buy the equipment, but skills necessary to use them are only developed over time.

So, my advice to anyone considering that big rifle and big scope so that you can shoot elk at long range? Be ready to be disappointed if you're not an accomplished long-range shooter. You're more likely to miss or wound that 600+ yard elk than you are to drop him in his tracks - and you'll probably lose him anyway. When everyone's competing for antlers anymore, a miss puts elk in the next county (a cow call hasn't been made yet to slow a spooked herd of elk down from 600 yards away - that'll be the next invention, I'm sure). Chances are good that an animal wounded from 600 yards away will be picked clean by the magpies and coyotes before you find him. If you're not in the right spot to make a good shot on him, it's just not your day. Breathe in some fresh air, watch him through your spotting scope, and let him go. Maybe you'll pick him up (or a better bull) tomorrow...