Nomercy448

It's really hard to make generalizations for recommended bullet weight for different game species without talking about velocity and bore diameter.

Sectional Density (bullet mass in pounds divided by the diameter squared) is a critical component. A 150grn bullet in .270win is a reasonable elk cartridge, whereas a 150grn 308win is on the light side. Why is that? Because of the difference in sectional density.

Another breakdown in bullet weight for game recommendations is found in velocity. A 200grn pill out of a 45-70 isn't a moose load (bad sectional density AND low velocity). A 150grn bullet out of a 30-30 is a very different round from a 150grn bullet out of a 300win mag.

When you can find a bore diameter and cartridge that combines a good sectional density with a high velocity, but still has an easily tolerated recoil level, THEN you have a real winner.

I'll pontificate your options below, but my recommendation would be to flip a coin between 270win, 308win, and 30-06.

Power: The 223rem is too light for deer, let alone elk, and the 243win is too light for elk, in general. Then at the other end, the 7mm rem mag and 300win mag are just too powerful for deer.

Recoil: Similar to the power comparison above, the 7mm rem mag and 300win mag are a lot of recoil to tolerate just for deer, even so for elk. If you're planning LONG RANGE elk, then sure, those two make sense, but at reasonable ranges, the 270, 308, and 30-06 make the most sense for "bang for the bang," meaning they kill well on the muzzle end without killing on the buttstock end. The 308win and 30-06 might have a bit more recoil than a newbie can tolerate, the 30-06 moreso than the 308win, but they're generally right under the line for tolerance for most folks, whereas the 7mm and 300 are often right OVER the line.

Ammunition cost: The 223rem is cheap, but it's off of the list. 243win is cheap too, but again, off of the list. The 270win, 308win, and 30-06 have similar ammunition costs. The 7mm rem mag and 300win mag tend to have higher ammunition cost, even for the reloader, because they run larger brass and more powder.

Targets: Most target shooting is done from a bench, where high level recoil can really wear on a shooter. Out of the entire list, the 223rem is really the only one that isn't capable of reasonable accuracy at 600-1000yrds, simply because it doesn't have the ballistic advantages of the others. Little bullets don't have good ballistic coefficients, so they shed velocity fast. Managing drop isn't impossible, but the 223rem definitely drops more than the others once you get out at range.

Breaking it down by cartridge:

223 Rem - Not good for deer, elk, or long range targets, cheap to shoot though
243 Win - Ideal for deer, not great for elk (not legal in some states)
270 Win - Great for deer, ok for elk, very moderate recoil, affordable to shoot
308 Win - Very versatile and effective for elk and deer, very affordable to shoot, moderate recoil
30-06 Sprg - Very versatile and effective for elk and deer, very affordable to shoot, tolerable recoil - might be hard on a new shooter
7mm Rem Mag - heavy recoil, too much for deer, great for long range elk, highest ammo cost
300 Win Mag - heaviest recoil, too much for deer, highest ammo cost, great for long range elk

So again, flip a coin between 270win, 308win, and 30-06, you'll be happy.