Good Ole Mossberg 30.06 for me.

I just want to know how far that Elk ran after being hit by the 416 Rigby.

Heart/Lung about 10 yards, no shoulder bones.... Barnes X and the Rigby is a super penetrator cartridge, I don't think much of the energy stayed in the animal, she jumped like I had hit her with a "cattle prod" took two bounds and piled up nose first.
================================================== =

What is your current favorite elk cartridge that you personally have actually used to take elk?

You post, I'll run the tally:

Pretty Much By Power:
1 - 7mm-08-------------------------- ~1%
11 - 270 Winchester------------------13%
2 - 308 ------------------------------~2%
15 - 30-06 Springfield ----------------- 85% Use 30-06 Power or Greater
1 - 270 Winchester Short Magnum
13- 7mm Remington Magnum
1 - 7mm Remington Ultra Magnum
5- 300 Winchester Short Magnum
14- 300 Winchester Magnum
2- 300 Weatherby Magnum
5 - 300 Remington Ultra Magnum
2 - 30-378 WeatherbyMagnum
8-338 Winchester Magnum
6- 338 Remington Ultra Magnum
1 - 340 Weatherby Magnum
1 - 350 Remington Magnum
1 - 358 Norma Magnum
2 - 375 Holland & Holland Magnum
1 - 416 Remington Magnum
---
92

OR (SINCE "STANDARD" VS "MAGNUM" ISMAINLY A DIFFERENCE IN POWDER CHAMBER SIZE.... )

.277:
11 - .277Std.
1 - .277Magnum
-------------------------------12
.284:
1 - 7mm Std..
14- 7mm Magnums
------------------------------- 15
.308:
17 - .308 Std.
28- .308 Magnums
------------------------------- 45
.338:
0 - .338 Std.
15-.338 Magnums
------------------------------- 15
.358 & Up:
0 - Std. Cartridges CounterpartsFor Any Of The Following:
2 - .358 Magnums
2 - .375 Magnums
1 - .416Magnum
------------------------------- 5
---
92

OR

By Magnum Factor:
29 - Standards (Including 15 - 30-06)
63 - Magnums
---
92

[Stick Flippers: 4]
[Smoke Poles:2]

30'06. It is the only round I have killed an Elk with. IMHO, something which hand more power at distance like a 300 WSM would be better, IMHO.

Heart/Lung about 10 yards, no shoulder bones.... Barnes X and the Rigby is a super penetrator cartridge, I don't think much of the energy stayed in the animal, she jumped like I had hit her with a "cattle prod" took two bounds and piled up nose first.
================================================== =

What is your current favorite elk cartridge that you personally have actually used to take elk?

You post, I'll run the tally:

Pretty Much By Power:
1 - 7mm-08-------------------------- ~1%
11 - 270 Winchester------------------13%
2 - 308 ------------------------------~2%
16 - 30-06 Springfield ----------------- 85% Use 30-06 Power or Greater
1 - 270 Winchester Short Magnum
13- 7mm Remington Magnum
1 - 7mm Remington Ultra Magnum
5- 300 Winchester Short Magnum
14- 300 Winchester Magnum
2- 300 Weatherby Magnum
5 - 300 Remington Ultra Magnum
2 - 30-378 WeatherbyMagnum
8-338 Winchester Magnum
6- 338 Remington Ultra Magnum
1 - 340 Weatherby Magnum
1 - 350 Remington Magnum
1 - 358 Norma Magnum
2 - 375 Holland & Holland Magnum
1 - 416 Remington Magnum
---
93

OR (SINCE "STANDARD" VS "MAGNUM" ISMAINLY A DIFFERENCE IN POWDER CHAMBER SIZE.... )

.277:
11 - .277Std.
1 - .277Magnum
-------------------------------12
.284:
1 - 7mm Std..
14- 7mm Magnums
------------------------------- 15
.308:
18- .308 Std.
28- .308 Magnums
------------------------------- 46
.338:
0 - .338 Std.
15-.338 Magnums
------------------------------- 15
.358 & Up:
0 - Std. Cartridges CounterpartsFor Any Of The Following:
2 - .358 Magnums
2 - .375 Magnums
1 - .416Magnum
------------------------------- 5
---
93

OR

By Magnum Factor:
30- Standards (Including 15 - 30-06)
63 - Magnums
---
93

[Stick Flippers: 4]
[Smoke Poles:2]

.280 Rem.

My wife used her 25-06 to kill her 5 point bull elk last year.
I used it, 25-06 years ago to kill a 3 point bull elk.
I loaned this same 25-06 to a friend who has killed 2 other elk with it.

I've used many different rifle/cartridge/scope combinations to take elk. My current favorite is the 7mm-08 with 150gr Nosler Partitions.

For long range, I like the .270 Wby Mag.

I plan on getting a new .338 Federal for smacking elk in the woods...

.270 win

Too late now, but I think that possibly the # of elk taken with each cartridge vs. the count being based on the hunter would be a better overall picture. I.E. Hunter A who has killed 1 elk with a .270 winchester counts the same in your poll as hunter B who has killed 30 elk with a .338 mag. (Hard to verify that though)

With that said, I've only killed 1 elk and it was with a .30-06 springfield.