I would go with a .300 Wby. Mag. Good luck.

Too much recoil for nothing. Don't get a .300 Whty.

Since you metioned sheep I would look for a lite handy rifle.Since this is a all-around gun I would metion several that come to mind.
Remington Mountain Rifle in .280 Rem or 30-06
Browning Micro hunter in 270 wsm or 300 wsm
Kimber Montana m8400 in .270 wsm,300 wsm
There are a slew of good calibers out there.Some of my favaorites are 280 Rem,30-06,7 Rem Mag,270 WSM and the .300 Win Mag or .300 WSM
BBJ

Many good rifles and calibers will fit your needs no doubt.

My preference for Elk - Tikka .300 WM. With a slightly lighter slug (165 gr) you can use for whitetail or other big game. For Elk, I think it is a fine caliber with a 180 gr slug.

Take a good hard look at the .300 or .338 Win Mag, you won't be dissappointed.

I agree, the .300 Winchester Magnum will do the same thing with a shorter barrel, and less recoil.

well i hunt with a 270. win. and for elk and deer it gets the job done. if you are gonna spend a good amount of money i would go with a 300.

thank you...finally someone sees the light

Get the .30-06. While the .270 is not bad, the .30-06 will give you more flexibility. There will be arguments about this, but some people feel that the .270 is doubtful for use on Elk. I don't hear this same kind of doubt about using the .30-06 using 180 grain bullets on elk. You can use the .30-06 for predator hunting on up to elk and moose with confidence. The .30-06 is probably the most commonly available ammunition. If you leave your choosen loads at home on the coffee table when leaving for an out of state hunt, you can find .30-06 loads with appropriate weight bullets for the local game at any out of the way hardware store or grocery store. Granted, .270 ammunition is pretty common too, but the .30-06 is probably more common.

Over time you may accumulate other rifles that are especially well suited to particular game -- .25-06 for pronghorn antelope and deer; .338 Winchester Magnum for elk; etc. -- but the .30-06 can be taken on all hunts as a back up in case your first string rifle gets damaged or the scope knocked out of adjustment.

Again, not to disparage the .270, but I think the .30-06 wins for versatility.

I was in the same boat as you buckharden and went with the tried and true 30-06 in a Winchester M70 featherweight. With scope the whole package still weighs less than 9lbs too. Now several deer and one elk later I'm looking to add to my hunting rifle collection to be able to confidently harvest game at any angle and extend the '06 range a bit too. My 30-06 shoots all manufacturer's 165gr bulletstried thus far sub-moa to 200yds and like others already said I can buy more 30-06 ammo anywhere ... 30-06 ammo, even with premium hunting bullets are still pretty cheap when compared to less popular cartridges like Weatherby, etc. Recoil is also pretty mild (with the nice sissy pad I have on ittoo! ) so quick follow up shots can be done as well.

I'm looking to step up to at least the 300 wm and probably the 338 wm now. I've considered the new 300 wsm and the 325 wsm as well, but am leaning towards the more proven ones - and the long vs. short action issue isn't a concern for me. Also, I don't have anything against the .270 or 7mm for that matter. Many, many elk have fallen to both and I wouldn't hesitate to use either on elk myself. My proven 30-06 will become the back-up on hunting trips and the go to rifle when going after smaller game - like Alsatian discussed above.