Just so this inspiring conversation doesn't stop...
If I were buying the gun mainly for elk, I would go with the 308, especially if you don't reload. Factory ammo is much cheaper for the .308, and you can get heavier bullets in factory ammo. The only heavier (than 140 grain) rounds I have seen for the 7mm-08 are the Federal 150s, which don't have a great BC, and the Berger 168 VLDs loaded by Corbon. And BVAC Grand slams in 145 gr. That's versus a ton of 180 grain loads for .308. I have a 7mm-08 and have killed elk with it handily at a reasonable distance using partitions, but a 180 from a 308 is going to plow through bone and rumen better than a 140, if you take a quartering shot that isn't quite right. I wouldn't hesitate to use a 7mm08 on elk, and just be disciplined about what shots I take, but I wouldn't buy a 7mm08 for that purpose, if that makes sense.
