6.5 300

[NorthernShot]

In Washington state especially east side where I live and hunt elk, the needs to be dead right there so you can quickly get to it and claim. I live in spike bull only areas and have had people try to steal elk. The only way you can harvest a cow or big bull is with a special permit. I have shot elk with 300 win mag, 7mm rem mag and 338 win mag although none of the traveled more than 90 yards, when I stepped up to a 338 rum the odds of them moving again dropped drastically. OTC tags and crowded areas.

Fair enough! I live in northern coastal BC where we don't have quite that level of competition but definitely the thick undergrowth of devils club, dogwood, and willows that large animals can disappear and be a nightmare to find or extract from after the shot. I had my bull moose drop (and roll downhill through all that) from one shot with the 6.5-300 Wby and have no doubt that a shot from a 338 Rum would have done the same based on where I placed my bullet.

Still, you can never say that a 6.5-300 is going to have MORE authority putting and animal down than a 338 Rum! That will flatten just about anything with the same shot placement! But I don't think a 6.5-300 will lack killing power for an elk either.