Some of the 30-06 is marginal for elk "barnyard effluvium" (JOC) came from Elmer Kieth's early days when he was using full metal jacket military surplus bullets in his 30-06 by filing off the nose. This is not a good thing to do, Pondoro Taylor warned against this practice as it resulted in the core separating from the jacket in the barrel and then a subsequent shot would split the barrel.

The 30-06 ranks as the #1 Elk rifle in most of the RMEF hunters surveys with the 270 or 7RM ranking as number 2. If ypu shoot the 30-06 and better put it to use then all the theory will fall by the wayside. The others are cool but real world advantage would be hard to pin down. The mediums may show more of a reaction when game is hit, They may provide a blood trail slightly more consistently but even this is suspect. How much difference is 0.05" of bullet diameter going to make? It is more dependent on the bullets used than caliber.

I have not used the 30-06 much as it makes a good number of my other rifles redundant. It is boringly versatile and effective. It was Eleanor O'Conner's choice as her big rifle for things like Bengal Tiger and Brown bear.

"When you disarm the people, you commence to offend them and show that you distrust them either through cowardice or lack of confidence, and both of these opinions generate hatred." Niccolo Machiavelli