A gun that you can hunt elk with at 200 or 300 yards is not going to be very pleasant to target shoot with if you don't like heavy recoil. Elk live in the back country, which means hiking, (unless you are a drive by killer) which means you want a light gun. Even a .308 in a light gun is going to kick you pretty good, which is no big deal while hunting but it sucks at the bench. A 7mm-08 will work on elk, but it is marginal, and it still going to recoil pretty good while target shooting.
You are trying to make one rifle/caliber do too many things. Do it right the first time, and buy two rifles. Something like a good .22 caliber (.223 or .22-250) centerfire and a 30-06 or 7mm Mag. Buy the large caliber used and you might be able to squeeze two rifles and one good optic in under a grand.
You are trying to make one rifle/caliber do too many things. Do it right the first time, and buy two rifles. Something like a good .22 caliber (.223 or .22-250) centerfire and a 30-06 or 7mm Mag. Buy the large caliber used and you might be able to squeeze two rifles and one good optic in under a grand.