rugerdiggs,
I can't think of a good-quality .308 caliber bullet that won't work. Nothing living is long for the world sans its heart and/or lungs. What destroys it/them is immaterial. That it/they are destroyed is. Put a bullet where it needs to be and get ready for a whole lot of messy work.
I am assuming you haven't hunted the Rockies, and you're hoping to hunt elk in the Rockies. There are some essential factors you ought to consider. Being in great shape where you live might not be good shape at 10,000'.
Where air is thin an breathing labored, you will know every ounce you're carrying.
Shooting at walking big game that's 200 yards away at 10,000' is infinitely more difficult than hitting a target 500 yards from a bench rest.
Time of year will probably be the variable that determines shot distance. You might want to try for a rut hunt.
My advice: take your lightest rifle that you feel confident using.
No big game animal is going to know whether it gave up its ghost to a .308 Win or a .300 RUM. But you'll know because of the weight you'll be carrying.
I will use my 40 year old Model 700 in .270 Win this year on a Rocky Mountain elk hunt in a hard-to-draw area. I have a 7MM Rem Mag, which, when the cartridge was introduced, was the definitive long range elk cartridge, but my rifle that fires it is a lot heavier.
Keep in mind that long before elk and other big game animals became much more difficult to kill, our North American hunting forefathers were knocking the heck outta deer, elk, moose, and everything else with surplus rifles chambered for 7x57, '06, .303 British, and 8x57, along with .30-30 Win, a cartridge that just will no longer kill any big game animals ;-)
Best of luck to you.
Last edited by SansSouci; 05/16/14.
