Next fall I hope to get after elk again in Montana and it will probably be with my custom .284 which is really just a shorter .280. I've taken one with the 30/06 at 400+ yards although that bull needed a finisher -- my fault, not the 06's. I've also taken two cows, one with a 45 Colt and the other with a 45/70.
I was a "Magnum guy" for quite a while and took eleven bulls with 340 Wby and loved it for its effect. Even though it wasn't that heavy I got tired of its 8.5 lbs all-up . My .284, scoped, goes into ~ 6.3 lbs. I have no doubt about its effectiveness -- a 140- or a 150-gr bullet placed through the lungs will put the biggest bull asleep. And it will carry like a dream.
I may just call it good and shoot a rag horn so I can do some trout fishing.
