When I was 10 years old on the playground in 1961, another little boy told me about a wounded bull elk that gored a hunter in the calf of his leg.
Other than that, elk are not dangerous game.
Among ~100 bolt actions analyzed by De Haas, the Rem 700 is the cheapest design to manufacture, while the 98 Mauser is the most expensive. The other bolt action designs are somewhere on the spectrum in between. The Howa is right in the middle.
I am convinced that an elk hunter optimizing for cost is better off with the cheapest, least reliable piece of junk with a quality barrel. [The Rem700]
I quickly and recklessly cut threads and chamber and put an Ebay $35 Rem700 7mmRM take off barrel on a beat up old 1908 Oberndorf Mauser action and beat up old military stock. I welded the bolt and drilled and tapped. It shoots better than I can.
With all the money Rem saves by selling a tube as a receiver, they can put a quality barrel on a Rem700. That is all you need for elk hunting.
