I hunt big Roosevelt Elk on Afognak Island in Alaska. We've shot elk the size of moose - our biggest was around 1400 pounds. Over the years we've harvested over 20 elk. I've kept tabs on calibers and the heavy hitters have often failed while the non magnum rounds have a perfect record. I used to use a 300 win mag with 200 grain bullets, but 6 years ago I switched to a 308 with 180 grain bullets. I feel more confident with the 308 and have shot an elk 5 straight years with the caliber. Last year I dropped my elk at 300 yards while a 7 rem mag at 100 yards failed to do the job. I truly believe the lighter rounds are better because we all shoot them better. Also they are less speedy and so the bullets are less likely to do crazy things. The only elk I ever shot that got away was at 50 yards with the 300 win mag and using a 200g bullet. I hit it perfectly but it ran away - sometimes velocity is not such a good thing. Patrick
