Yeah, when I was in the gunshop the other day buying some 60-gn Partitions for my .223, I mentioned that it was for my "elk load" and you could see about 4 sets of shoulders stiffen up as they prepared to explain to me what an idiot I was!
They were for my home-defense load for my AR...
The minimum caliber I'd personally like to hunt elk with is a 7mm-08, but it's legal to go all the way down to .243 in Oregon. They are tough animals, in tough country, and I personally want to hit them hard, and I want lots of penetration. Since I CAN'T afford "gimmee" tags, and elk is a low-percentage affair in Oregon, it just makes sense to carry a rifle that isn't going to be an impediment to the killin' should such a chance present itself. So while I would carry a 7mm-08 if I had to, in reality in my opinion "proper" elk rifles start at 30-06 and go from there.
The rifles in my safe that I consider "ideal" elk rifles are 30-06, .358 Win, 325 WSM, and 338 Win Mag, with the last one being the best for the job IMHO. The best combo of trajectory and terminal ballistics in a shootable rifle.
Rifles in my safe that I would use in a pinch or in special circumstances include 7mm-08, 30-30, 32 WS, 44 mag, .308, and 45/70.
I couldn't see hunting elk with a .22-anything or even a .243, personally.
-jeff
