Guys are endlessly looking for the perfect tool, but forget it's the craftsman that makes the tool, not the reverse - of course in this case the tool is the rifle/cartridge, the craftsman is the hunter/rifleman.
Q: "what's the best elk rifle/cartridge?"
A: "Whatever the best elk hunter/rifleman has in his hands."
I get it of course. The reason most of us are on this site is we're rifle nuts. Part of loonyism is debating over, and playing with a variety of platforms and cartridges. I guess the difference for me is I've never been under the illusion that I "needed" anything other than a 308 for my hunting, in spite of having dozens of rifles chambered in dozens of cartridges. Every cartridge is a compromise weighted in one direction or another, and there are all kinds of factors that enter the choice other than just "the numbers."