I burned out the barrel in my Model 70 7mm RM, but it involved a lot of shooting. When I say burned out, the accuracy deteriorated to 3" groups at 100 yds.
I was never that impressed with the performance on elk. It always resulted in a dead elk, but the results left one to wonder if a moose had been hit. Most elk would walk off and stand with their head down, teeter around a bit, and eventually fall over. I used 175 Noslers, 162 gr Hornadys. 160 gr. Speers, and always hit the lungs.
When I re-barreled the Winchester to .358 Norma Magnum, I discovered what knock-down power really meant. Elk dropped immediately, even at longer ranges. I do love the big bores.
Just to add some fun to the conversation, the most immediate elk kill I have witnessed was carried out by a .270 Win and Federal 130 gr. soft points.
