quote:

what do you like?

375 H&H, 35 Whelen, 300 Weatherby.

The thing I found out a long time ago however, is that if a person has say a 30-06 that they are comfortable shooting and are accurate with it, they are better off sticking with that gun and concentrating on bullet placement, instead of going to something bigger and heavier that they are not used to.

I grew up reading Elmer Keith, and because of that I like the larger calibers.

I have seen plenty of elk killed however at normal ranges 100 to 400 yards with 270's, 308's, and 30-06's that if a person has one of those and is used to it, why screw the pooch and try something different?

All else being equal, I would always choose a larger caliber and heavier bullet. I took my elk with a 416 and my dad was using his 300SAUM. While I like Nosler partitions and they have always done the job on whitetails, I chose to reload with Swift A-frames for both and that is what I use for anything tougher than whitetails. I agree, Elk aren't armored, but I believe hunting such a magnificent creature requires stacking all of the odds to make it a one-shot, quick kill. We all hope for that broadside, standing still shot through the ribs, but it can quickly go to a moving, quartering shot and the bullet into the bones of the shoulder - a bit tougher.
My Choice - 8mm with 200 or 220g Swift A-frames.

With proper bullet placement who cares what the flavor of the day cartridge is?????They all will work.

Go for a heavier bullet in either of the calibers you mentioned and then take the one you shoot the best. Confidence is worth foot pounds any day!

Based on the advice of the many experienced folks here I have revised my load selection. For my 30-06 I will be using 180 gr Sierra Pro hunters and for the 8MM (the backup) 196 gr Hornady Interlocks. Both loads are very accurate. The 30-06 is a factory load and the 8MM is a handload. The 8MM load is 52.5 gr H380. The 8MM has a long barrel so the speed should be up there. Thanks for the help.