I don't like to argue about caliber with anyone so I will just tell my little story. I hunted with a 25-06 for my whole life, killing many large mule deer, coyotes, elk, and everything else that moved. I love the caliber more than any other, period!
I was tracking a bull elk in the cedars and jumped him on the edge of a clay basin. I ran to the edge of the canyon and saw him just on the other side halfway up the sidehill. I ranged him at 411 yards. To some of you that is too far. To others that is within range by a couple of hundred yards. To me it was well within range.
I hit him in the chest on the right side and he stumbled and went down. He got back up and I hit him in the chest on the opposite side. He laid down again. I waited to make sure he was dead before I started toward him. He got up and tried to make it out of the canyon. I shot him in the rear end, because that was the only shot I could get before he disapeared. He rolled down the hill into a patch of cedars. I again waited and he did not move again. It took me about 30 minutes to get to him and when I arrived he was gone! Blood everywhere and tracks heading north. I tracked him for about 400 yards and jumped him in the thick cedars. I shot at the only thing you see on an elk going straight away. I hit him in the left cheek. He kept going but he came to a wash that was too sheer to cross and he went up it until he hit an old fence, and he couldn't cross it because his back end was broke down pretty bad. I jumped him again and I shot him in the back end again dropping his rear end and then I quickly shot him between the shoulder blades to finish him off.
I don't tell this to make it look like I am a poor shot or some kind of slob hunter. I tell this to illustrate my feelings about this caliber for elk. I think I made him suffer a lot because I was under gunned for the situation. I skinned him and measured the penetration, and not one of the slugs went in more than 7 inches. I was anti magnum from the start, but I decided that year to get me one for elk. I bought a 7mm stw and have since killed several more elk with it, at similar ranges, and only one required more than one shot.
I still hunt deer with the 25-06, and I killed a 30" buck with it this year in Wyoming, but it stays home now on the elk hunts. I hunt too hard, and spend too much money on hunting to have to pass on a shot that I could take with a slightly larger caliber.
This is a little bit lengthy, but for my two cents, use enough gun when it comes to elk. Small bulls, and cows are easy to kill, but big older bulls are tougher than hell.
Roundy