We are talking about both a valuable and expensive hunt and the life of a treasured large game animal. I take both pretty seriously.

The .260 is basically a necked down .308 and capable of great accuracy. It can project a 140 grain bullet at a good velocity.

Elk are large tough animals and about half the size of moose, if that. Large mass = large bones = bullet stoppage and/or fragmentation of smaller bullets.

Are you guaranteed the perfect shot? Are you always capable of perfect shooting? If not, I would certainly recommend some insurance.....a larger load. A couple great moose loads off the top of my head? .338 Lapua or.338/.378 Weatherby, 8MM Mag, .375 H&H.

If I was a local and moose populations were very, very abundant, then I *may be* alright with a 30-06 or 7MM Mag.

I love big game and hope the license fees help assure a good future for the game. If we want to eat meat, an animal must pay the price. At the same time, the demand is what made their life possible....speaking of livestock here. I believe a quick and humane kill is our responsibility.

Having attended an outfitters convention, I will attest that professional elk outfitters prefer to see their clients show up with largish bullets that leave largish holes. They prefer bullet size over bullet speed.

A great thing about guns is that they hold their value better than 90% of the stuff we buy. One can likely buy a slightly used gun then sell it at ~ a 10% loss. Not bad at all.