I am posting this in the Big Game form because this topic is about elk huting with the proper tool.
My father is 65-years old. He has killed a bunch of elk over the years. He took me elk & deer hunting at a young age. We are still hunting partners today. He has always elk hunted with his 30-06 or 30-30. He started me out hunting with a Winchester model-94 30-30. After a few years he bought me a "do all gun" a 270-winchester.
Soon after I got my first job I bought a Ruger M-77 300-Win mag. I topped it with a Leupold Vari X-II 3x9x40mm scope. His reaction, "what are going to kill with that cannon, Elephants".
Well after many years of elk hunting with him, He told me if he were going to buy a "elk hunting rifle he would buy a 338-win mag."
He went on to say that over the years he has had to let several elk walk because the shot was not right for the rifle he was packing. He said in real life elk just don't stand there & give you that perfect "outdoor channel pose." We talked for hours about matching the caliber & bullet to the game you hunt. He feels a .338-caliber is the best choice for elk hunting. He said he would still use his 30-06, but he would only use it for deer hunting. I asked him why he had changed his mind after all of these years? I asked him if he wounded an elk & never found it? He told me he has never wounded an elk he could not find. He did tell me he has wounded two deer he could not find. One was wounded with the 30-30 (about 20-years ago) & one was wounded with the 30-06 (about 5-years ago). He said with all of the choices on the market today it is easy to have the right tool for the job.
I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.