Mule Deer, John Burns, et al - I have used the 30 caliber 168 grain VLD, the .338 caliber 300 grain Berger VLD and 285 grain ELD-M on several different elk. Do they kill them? Sure. With that said, they don't penetrate terribly well. I shot a cow with the 300 grain Berger at roughly 350 yards. Hit her in the shoulder and it didn't penetrate to her vitals. I shot a big bull in the spine as it grazed below me with the 168 grain Bergers. Shooting from above onto his spine, it took out a roughly 6" section of the spine and failed to penetrate further. I shot a wounded cow as it ran away, straight up the poop chute with the 285 grain ELD-M at about 200 yards. It penetrated 4-6". There are better bullets out there for elk. I love a bullet that expands violently on deer, antelope, and bear. They just haven't worked as well for me on elk. As always, and as per usual, YMMV.
