Im no elk expert, but with todays awesome bullets calibers like 7mm/08 and 7x57mm I would think would do fine if you make good shots and don't expect the bullet to penetrate from stem to stern. I chose the 338wm for elk because #1-I'm not the least bit recoil shy I figured there is no down side to shooting a very powerful caliber like the 338wm and #2-With a premium bullet there is no such thing as a bad shot angle with a 225 grain .338 #3-EVERYTHING I read and every elk hunter I spoke with all said the 338wm is THE elk caliber back in 1993 when I bought my M700 in SST/SYN W/DBM.
Actually......I've shot elk and witnessed elk shot from stern to stem with a 30-06, 270, and 7mmRM, and Partitions. And the one I shot with a 270 w/ 150 NPt was the heaviest bull I've ever killed and one of the heavier bulls I've ever seen killed--roughly 750-800 lbs.
I've watched my son shoot an elk from front portion of the hip to the front of the off shoulder with a 243 and a Partition.
