I am with IDAHOELKINSTRUCTOR. I would allso use my bow befor I will ever use a 243 for elk.I have lived in montana for 6 years and killed 7 elk.One of my elk was killed with a 223 when I was out cuting wood.THIS will never happen agin.I did not give the elk the respect it needs.I shot the elk right behind the ear,it droped like a rock.When I was gutting the elk it came back awake [the bulet did not go though its skull so it was just knocked out] I had to track a bull with MOST of its guts draging the ground for around 400 yards.I did learn from my misstake and will NEVER shoot a elk with out useing a gun of respectable calliber.
When I moved to montana all I had to hunt with was a 30-06.After seeing many elk shot with rifles I now own a 300 win and a 300 wetherby.I do not think any bullet under the 30 cal is enough for elk hunting every year for the avrage hunter. The 270 is a very popular round so there will allways be people that shoot elk with it and kill them.Most people that shoot an elk with it and did not recover it will not post it.
My wife shoots a 300 win mag.This last year she shot one of her many elk at around 40 yards.The shot was placed in the basket.The elk than went well over 300 yards UP HILL.When guting the elk I inspected the damage from the bullet.The bulet whent one loung and allmost cut the top of the hart off.
I think what it comes down to is most people use the gun they have AND most people are deer hunters so the gun is for deer and they do not want to buy a difrant gun for elk or cant.