Rick,
Sounds like you've got your mind set on a 338WM, but I don't have to tell you that you don't "need" a 338 for elk.
My advice is to get the least expensive one, put a decent quality scope on it, then use the money you saved to get a pantload of ammo, then shoot the piss out of it. If you want to trade up to something else after you learn about the 338 and what you want, then trade it in on whatever.
Just go shooting, dude!
