now that I've narrowed down my choice where do i shoot the dang thing?

heart/lungs? shoulder? neck?

Sorry I can't even tell which rifle you are taking or prefer.

i'll prolly end up with the .257 cause i'm hard headed and stubborn

So you asked for input, got a resounding common answer, and decided to do something different anyway.

Why ask for input?

out of what ya listed 270

He just wanted re-assurance that the nonsense he has heard about armor plated elk wasn't true.
End of the day he has a favorite rifle he wants to use it, no reason he shouldn't it more then capable.

I get it, I have a favorite rifle that happens to be a 257 wby. Now am I going to start smoking elk at 400 plus yard with it? no, I'm not a long range guy, If I was going to do that I'd buy a custom 7mag or 28n or 300wm and shoot it as much as I can out to 1700 yards.

Clearly you need to buy a new rifle for this hunt.

That 6.5-.300 looks pretty good

Not saying it won't happen but I limit my shots to 300-350 yards.

Too many variables past that come into play.

Where I am hunting 300 yards is about max I would be able to take a shot except I'm a few areas

You call it handicapping, yet I think it's foolish to buy a 7 mag, 300 win. 28Noslser etc specifically for elk when you can't take or have the time to learn to shoot over 300 yards any way.

If TTrophy said man I spent 10k and only care about punching an elk tag and will do what ever it takes!!... I'd say get a load worked up and go see fireman and burn some powder. At very least you will extend your range to 600. Virtually doubling you huntable area. But that's a lot of range time in the next 90days.

I only point out what my gun has killed to defy the undergun mind set. It's truly dumb. We are humans we have literally taken subspecies of elk to extinction with Ineffectient smokeless and blk powder.

And that goes back to what I've learned.

Have a few rifles, custom built to handle everything from prairie dogs to moose, and everything in between. Give me three certain ones, and I can pick the right tool for the job, every time, and many overlap. In the end, the guy that does that, probably had the same money invested in 3 great ones, as most people have invested in 6-10 "decent" ones. And these questions never arise.

What's the job?
Ok, I know which tool to grab.

I am going to take a 06 with 165 Accubonds and the wife will be toting a 7x57 with 140 or 150 Partitions. If I was a betting man, if we get a shot I would bet we bring a bull home!

Just be sure to take 2. Take em both and you have a back up in camp.

I just spent a hour watching you tube vids of elk getting dropped with .308's and 7mm-08's...a .257 wby shouldn't have any issues at all

But that's a freakin quarter bore at light speed. It'll zip through leaving a 1/4" hole on both sides.

.308 and 7mm-08 have been blessed by God. Quarter bore is a heathern.

I will say that as I get older I am understanding this to be true more and more.

It makes life easier

Does is matter when Its a way less then a quarter mile race...

Yes.

Exactly. The .257s don't do Bonneville Salt Flats, they do the stoplight-to-stoplight stuff. And often win.

This thread illustrates why I probably need a THF break.

whew, glad it wasn't one of mine

OP, your 7 RM is by far the best choice. Some use 25 cal on elk, but mostly because it's the best they have. Your 257 weatherby will kill them but everything needs to go right. Because of that, the argument that it is inadequate can be made. That is not the case with a 7RM. Yes they are loved by the long range crowd, but their widely accepted respect and popularity was earned in the mountains, before ballistic turrets or crosshairs, sending a 160 grain bullet at 130 grain 270win speeds. That puts it among the very best choices for elk rifles. If you spend a little time and learn to get behind it and snub it up, the 7RM is not bad to shoot.

A couple of weeks ago I was down at Padre Island National Seashore. There was a hippie in a mini van sitting on the frame in the soft sand 37 miles down the beach. Yeah, on the way in the tide was low, the sand was wet and conditions were perfect and the dude made it fine. On his way out at high tide in the soft sand he was screwed. That's what tying into an elk hunt with a 25 cal is gonna be like.

Let's review:

1)The OP asks for recommendations about 3 rifles he a)already owns b)is not scared of and c)shoots all of them well;
2)One of them is perfect for the job (elk/bear), one is fine for the job, and one is handicapping/marginal because it a) shoots a little, fast bullet and b) is heavy to boot;
3)Most weigh in with the obvious best choice - as do I;
4)The Court Jester chides me as somehow being a dumba** for recommending the obvious choice of the 3 rifles inquired about for the task at hand; and
5)The OP picks the heavy rifle shooting the little bullet anyway.

Yep, time for a break.

Ahhh I hurt your feelings.....

Difference in giving an opinion vs your typical chastising. You can't differentiate the two

This last post of yours is a perfect example.

You gave all valid reasoning and I agree with it all.

I just like the rifle the .257 is chambered in not necessarily the caliber itself.

It's a long ways away I'm still gonna prep the 7mm for the hunt and bring it if I have room.