most of us have been involved ,in these rifle/ammo choice selection discussions.
when I was younger and far less experienced , I was rather easily impressed, with isolated results I saw in the field.
after seeing 5 decades of game killed I think I gained a much more realistic perspective.
my mentors in the late 1960s and early 1970s almost exclusively suggested I buy and use a 30/06 loaded with peters 220 grain bullets.
as a group we hunted the area around EAGLE,MEEKER ,RIFLE and GYPSUM Colorado
I was not overly impressed with my first two elk kills using that combo, both elk were well hit at ranges under 150 yards
both ran, 40-60 yards on / after bullet impact
I swapped to a 340 weatherby using 250 hornady bullets and the next couple elk dropped within a few steps...
.I was convinced Id found the answer.
over the decades watching other guys use damn near every common cartridge,
it slowly dawned on me that damn near everything worked if the shot placement was good ,
and it was rather common for well hit elk to make a 30-50 yard run when hit.
my late hunting partner RON, used a 358 win BLR for decades and had good success,
another guy stuck to using a ruger #1 in 270 win with 150 grain speer bullets.. he was just as successful.
in over 28-29 individual out of state hunts I made, and 45 or so our group made,
our group did far better than the game department odds might suggest.
over time I watched the more experienced guys (other than myself) gravitate away from magnums,
the 30/06, 338/06 , 358 win and 35 whelen have become well respected choices
I stuck with the 340 wby and a 375 H&H carbine on most hunts
(hey I have 100% confidence in those)yes I tried a 358 win, a 30.06, a 270 win, 45/70, 450 marlin and Ive carried a 257 roberts,
they ALL work if you can shoot well.
its not the cartridge, or rifle or cartridge you select, (yes the projectile you use maters )
its your ability to find the elk,and get into decent range, and shoot accurately, thats critical.
looking at the guys that were consistently successful, it was dogged persistence, the ability to get your butt up before dawn and hunt until your successful
accumulated knowledge, learning how and why elk travel in , and avoid some areas that was the most critical skill