Personally, I wouldn’t hesitate to use my 165 gr Corelokt handloads on elk, but like Okie4570 said, there’s better options if using factory ammo.
I know a guy with significant financial resources that can have anything he wants, and he uses a 7-08 for everything. He does quite a bit of elk hunting and has killed a bunch with that caliber.
I actually have a 7-08 Encore pistol barrel on my eBay watchlist right now.
Do keep in mind, if your elk hunting ideas include the Wichita mtn Refuge draws, or Ft Sill elk hunts- then exclude the 6.5mm’s and 25-06 from your considerations- as both the refuge and Ft Sill have a .270 caliber minimum for elk.
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My choice for the best all-around cartridge for North America would be the -06. Mostly because there's a huge variety of ammo and bullet weights available, and ammo can be found at every little mom and pop shop in hunting territory. The variety of ammo makes the caliber sufficient for pretty much anything you'd like to hunt.
If I am going for elk only, I am going to take a bigger caliber money gun that is sure to get the job done, so from your list, that would be the 300 Win Mag.
However, if I were to only have one gun/caliber, I am very partial to the 308. I have a hand load with 178 gr Hornady Eld-X that is super accurate and am confident would put an elk down. My son in law shot a deer with it last year at 240 yds and you could put your fist in the exit wound. Heavy bullet, deep penetration and catastrophic devastation to the vitals. With the 308, you could have a heavier load like that for elk and a lighter load for whitetail.
However, if I were to only have one gun/caliber, I am very partial to the 308. I have a hand load with 178 gr Hornady Eld-X that is super accurate and am confident would put an elk down. My son in law shot a deer with it last year at 240 yds and you could put your fist in the exit wound. Heavy bullet, deep penetration and catastrophic devastation to the vitals. With the 308, you could have a heavier load like that for elk and a lighter load for whitetail.
If you wanted to go with something a little more than 308 but less than the belted magnums, the 270 short mag would be a good option, however I think you are somewhat limited on bullet options for the heavier, long range bullets in 270 without reaming a longer throated chamber. That was the whole reason the 6.8 Western (270 caliber) was developed.
Define “Long Range”?
My definition of long range hunting and a general hunting rifle, Id take a 308 (which is currently my precision bolt action rifle) and shoot any deer sized game within 600 yards, Elk within 800 yards (if the wind wasnt too wild and the conditions were really favorable and very particular bullets if hunting animals bigger than deer)
But a 7 Mag or 300 Win would be more efficient on the bigger animals. A lot of tissue to punch through.
But you can kill just about anything in NA with a 308 or 30-06 with a good bullet! A lot of awesome technology exists these days.
You will never have issues trying to find ammo for .30-06, .30-30, .270 or .308.
I would go .30-06 for deer and elk. Deer only, .270.
I would go .30-06 for deer and elk. Deer only, .270.
Where you hunt makes a difference to me. Not on the list for that rifle but as has already been mentioned, I am also a huge fan of the 7-08 as a deer rifle especially with 120gr ballistic tips, a very good buddy also took an elk with 140 nosler e-tips. Loads can be tough to find though, so .308 will work well for mostly deer and sometimes elk or if you are recoil sensitive at all. If you mostly hunt farther west and elk will be frequent, then the 7mag or 30-06 would likely get the nod, with preference for the magnum. Glass would again depend on where you hunt, 2.5-10 probably if you spend a lot of time in the woods, 4-16x44 if you hunt a lot in the open.
