Best Caliber for Elk

There is a big question that a lot of hunters ask, what is the best caliber for elk?  This can be a very touchy subject and many people have different ideas to what the best caliber for elk is. One would think that a hunter that comes out for a hunt is fully knowledgable with hours of practice shooting under their belt and are extremely comfortable with their weapon but I have been guiding hunters long enough to know that is not always the case.  But taking in account for all types of calibers that are out there and to determine the best caliber for elk is very hard to figure.  I have seen people shoot elk anywhere from a .243 to a 375hh, and the result has been the same; a dead elk.  If you are a hunter going on an elk hunt for the first time and have your dad's old 30.06 in the gun safe, for instance, then that is a great caliber for elk. But you need to shoot it and make sure the scope and gun are both in working order.  If you are going on a outfitted hunt ask the outfitter how far is the most common shot you will be taking, ask what bullet works well for elk.  Keep in mind when hunting elk a well-placed shot will work with any legal caliber with a good bullet.  As a guide, I am around a lot of different calibers and the caliber that I have seen used that has accounted for the fewest wounded elk is the .270.  The reason I think that this is true, is for two reasons. First reason being the hunters hunting with the .270 are very comfortable with the gun and have confidence in it.  The second reason is the recoil; they shoot the the gun a lot and don’t have a flinching problem.  Do I think that the .270 is the best caliber for elk? I think it works great and hardly ever see an elk get away when used.  It might be the best all around caliber for all your hunting needs.  In my personal opinion I would have to say the 7mm would be the best caliber for elk.  The reason being because it doesn’t kick as hard as the .300, and the .338 but still has the magnum power.