I'm making my first Elk hunt next fall in CO. I have a Remington model 700 .30-06 and am really comfortable with it
End your thread there and you answered your own question.
Stay with what you have, know and are comfortable with.
Not sure who told you a 30-06 is "barely enough for a large bodied animal", but they're ignorant beyond reason. The 30-06 is first, and foremost, an elk cartridge IMO/E...