Elk just aren't that hard to kill. Bigger rounds make a more immediate impression, and can put them down a few seconds faster (sometimes), but dead is dead. The smarter way is to use a round you can shoot well, year in and year out, because shot placement trumps sheer horesepower, and shot placement is directly tied to shootability. It's all well and good to talk about a nano-second of recoil a few dozen times a year, but that's not the way to good marksmanship. Yanking a trigger is a good way to create a merry chase. I'll take a guy who is familiar and comfortable with his rifle over the guy that shoots a couple dozen rounds a year any day.
Shot Placement is no.1
Bullet quality is no.2
Cartridge is a far distant no.3... cartridges are more alike than different.
And on an elk mountain I'll always take a lighter rifle than a heavier one...
Brad, I really can't argue with what you say other than the fact that with certain cartridges - and the Creed may very well fall into that category - you're going to have to pass on a shot every now and then that you wouldn't with say, a 30-06 loaded with a stout 180 grain bullet.
Although a 6.5 loaded with a 140 Nosler Partition will probably penetrate as good as most anything, so maybe not.
What do you think?
