I'll admit right up front that I've never shot an elk BUT I have loaded the 165 SST in my 06 and killed a couple animals with it and I do load it for a friend's 308 & seen him shoot a couple animals with it.
The hogs I shot w/ early models pushed to 2950-ish from my 06 went down but the bullet was extraordinarily frangible like old ballistic tips. Personally I wouldn't use those on elk myself but I'm sure they'd work if you were cautious about the shot placement.
The newer ones my friend has put through whitetails at speeds a couple hundred fps slower seem harder as they've held together thru double shoulder shots.
Again I haven't ever shot an elk (it's on my to-do list) but when I do it'll sooner be with a 165 Interlock (non-tipped version) than SST.
Good luck w/ yer hunt!!
