It's become very fashionable here to recommend cocktail-time cartridges for elk-"you know, I took that bull with a 140 out of a 260, no problem". Sure, it can be done and at times with aplomb. And I also respect guys like Brad and Bob and others absolutely.
But this isn't a military scenario wherein you don't have to kill a man to get him out of the fight, just wound him, take him out of the fight and eat their side's resources. In a sport hunting scenario you want/need to kill this animal now and humanely; stop him if you will from dropping off that ridge into the next canyon. It takes adequate precision and power, a combination of those two for most one-week-a-year elk hunters, every two to five years.
This is a very big animal, very vital, and ready to flee to the next county line, or three drainages over with even a severe but not immediately fatal wound. Why dance around the edge of certainty? Not that a big cartridge guarantees certainty but if you CAN shoot it, apply some bullet weight and energy to the task at hand. Amd most of my bulls have come at close to 400 yds or over, not close in.
To six hundred yards? A 6.5, or a 308? They are simply are not the best choices for elk to that range IMO; deer? Ok,Yes, but not elk. Again, to reiterate, not that it can't be done.
Nothing against anybody here but the crux here is long range-to 600 yards for a 500 to 900 lb animal that is inclined to wanting to be gone.
