Years ago, my hunting partner and I killed 8 cows and bulls over a period of time with the 7/08 loaded with 140g sierras...amazing we simply did not know any better. We had no long tracking jobs, just put the bullet where it belongs. We did not pay any attention to complete penetration, etc as they just flopped at the shot, some stood for three seconds.

We figured that the 7/08 was too much gun for cows, so we started shooting the 243 with 100g partitions with 41g of IMR 4350, they flopped also. We rode mules, quartered them up putting the quarters in panyards on the side of the mules, then turned the mules loose. The mules were standing at the horse trailer on the back of the truck when we arrived.

Our shots were never over 150 yards as the elk were not spooked by the mules, and could never see the man on the mule.

My thinking goes along two lines

a. place your shot or do not pull the trigger-forget the idea of shooting through a shoulder unless you want to shoot a cannon. If you want to shoot through shoulders, a 7 Mag with 175g partitions is a good start or better a 300 WM with 200g partitions. Many men can not shoot a magnum accurately, and accuracy is all it takes on elk. Men that like shoulder shooting elk will eventually be in for the most difficult tracking job you could ever imagine with a very good possibility that the dying bull will run into the deepest canyon you could ever imagine. Shoulder shooters should err on the long side and shoot something like a 300 Weatherby with a 200g partition or larger caliber AND PRACTICE. I could tell some stories on sorry SOB's that never shot their huge magnums and gimped up elk, wanting to put me and my mules in danger after making a really bad shot. I really don't know about the TTSX as stories abound about them failing, and the same goes for Berger hunting bullets.

b. choose a bullet that you know will do MASSIVE INTERNAL DAMAGE on a broad side shot, which I think is more important that a complete pass through. Partitions will never fail you, and expect the best of both worlds.

In a 7/08, a 140,150,160g partition would be tremendous, and R#26 with a fed 215 would be my pick of powders loaded using a long drop tube.

Elk hunting involves a lot of up and down hill shooting which always leads to shooting high, know your trajectory.