To the OP, Assuming proper placement with proper bullets at reasonable ranges should kill elk as well as anything that walks this continent. There’s very few modern day centerfire chamberings above .22 that won’t do the job if the bullet is put in a caliber appropriate spot. Even the centerfire .22’s should be enough for anything on this continent if you hit CNS on the bigger beasts. My father in-law killed several brown bear a half century ago in Alaska with the Sako L461 Vixen in .222rem mag that’s sitting in front of me. He had the luxury of cover and only shot when presented the right shot. He never had to shoot one more than once. My now deceased buddy managed a ranch and had cow elk depredation tags that allowed him to kill some in the act of depredations. He walked out on the back deck and one shot from his .17HMR anchored a full grown cow elk with a head shot.
That’s the long way of saying that any caliber has the ability to do the job but within the parameters of bullet, placement and distance. Only the man behind the rifle can set those for himself depending on what he’s carrying. Good luck.
