Originally Posted by southtexas
IMO, the possibility of elk eliminates the 243. 257 is my personal favorite, but if he doesn't Handload, it's probably not the best. And availability of factory ammo options would probably favor the 7 over the 6.5.


This ^^^^^. He might also consider various statutes where he plans to hunt. For instance in KY the min. Caliber for elk is .270 . Don't know if there are other states that have minimums.