the 7 Rem. mag. will be just fine but get a good swivel bi-pod and learn how to use it on your rifle. good luck , Viking53
I have a different take. No doubt the 7mag is a killer, but, I like the big heavy slow bullet. Out of state hunters are more likely to take a risky shot, longer than their capability, a running shot, maybe low light, etc. It's only human nature to take that risky shot, you paid a lot for the hunt, and you want to go home with something, when you're down to the last day or two it gets worse. The 7 mag has a lot of velocity, if your shot is off you will ruin a lot of meat, maybe lose the elk. But a cartridge like 338 or 375 isn't as suseptable to wind, and at 500 yards, there can be a lot of wind, from different directions. A big bullet makes a big hole, and more blood, less bloodshot meat, more penetration, less deflection, etc. The best thing you can do is get in shape, high altitude is a real *****, tell your guide to go easy the first day or two to get acclimated, if you wear yourself out the first day you won't recover. Strip your equipment to a bare minimum, you won't need a pistol, more than 5 rounds of ammo, booze, and so on, it gets crazy what some guys are willing to hump miles. Take a real compass, and something to start a fire with. Good luck and have fun.
I hunted deer with a 6.5 CM last year, taking a nice buck with a Lapua 108 grain Scenar that I reloaded. The buck made 10 yds before collapsing.
So, to answer your question, yes it is very capable for hunting.
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The hipster less capable Swede Clone , but yes its an adequate cartridge .
In the 6.5 cal. I would use at least a 139/140 grn boolit.
I've downed a few elk over the years, I always used a 308 with 165/168 grain bullets. The last cow I got was with an M1A with iron sights and a 168 grain Sierra Match King bullet. Never shot one much past 150 yards. Your 7 mag is very capable for Elk.
What round would you recommend?
There's too many cartridges and too little time and my opinion will probably be wrong for several people especially if you're a member of the short action mafia.
For Elk I would prefer something with more horse power and better ballistics then the creedmoor , a 270 or a 280 outclasses the 6.5 creedmoor by a good margin . If a 6.5 is on the menu then I'd probably lean towards 6.5-06 or a 264 Winchester .
A lot of people dote on the 7 mag and I own a couple but they aren't my favorite rifles by any stretch there is nothing the 7 mag does which the 300 Winchester Magnum doesn't do better by a substantial amount. Personally I have always had great success with the 30-06 and have yet to find something it won't fell and on the rare occasions that more range is required I have yet to be disappointed with the 300 H&H .
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