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Generally speaking ..... proper shot placement from an accurate and properly sighted rifle kills big game.
Match the cartridge to the skill of the hunter and the maximum distance one intends to shoot. I say.

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Originally posted by Atkinson:
Suitable depends on the hunter..

I hunt the dark timber so thick its hardly passable, its a special place for big bulls North of Sun Valley..

All my shots have been going South at probably less than 75 yards and more like 35 or 40 yards..I use a .338 win. with 250 gr. Woodleighs or Noslers partition, and it sticks a bulls nose in the dirt with a raking shot so far every time, Those bullets penetrate big time...Kill faster than a 06 or 300 does on a perfect broadside shot IMO..I don't hunt there any more as its a mean piece of real estate and takes two to hunt it..and twice that many to get them out..250, 243, 22-250s sure don't work in that divide..neither do the midrange 270 and 06 or even the 7 mag or 300s suit me..Actually my old 375 and 404 were perfect but too heavy to pack..The light .338 was perfect as was the 9.3x62,,,Today over sage brush hills both high and low the 30-06 is my favorite with 200 gr. Accbonds..

So suitable is only a word, location is the best way to choose an elk cartridge..I chose the .338 after some close calls in that timber with my then favorite calibers, the 7x57 and 30-06. What ever you use you had better use heavy for caliber that will penetrate a bull stem to stern unless you think you can hit the spine every time..Several times I had to point and shoot, not aim, it always worked at those close ranges, worked on Buffalo in Tanzania on a couple of occasions..practice that.

Suitable cartridges

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Originally posted by phurley5:
I have hunted Elk for a long time with many different chamberings. Closest shot 18 yards, longest 300 yards. First started with a .300 Winny and used three different rifles, then a .340 WBY, then a .338 Lapua, then two different .358 STA’s. I used a .270 WSM on my last three and found a 160 grain at 2950 fps was very adequate. My advice is use what you shoot instinctively when the shot comes and have confidence in what you have in your hands and use a tough bullet. I load Northforks, Nosler Partitions, Swift A-Frames, Barnes Original or TSX. Your barrel will tell what it likes if you shoot it enough. Good Shooting.