Of course either one is excellent for elk and mule deer. I think the question is how well do you handle recoil? I had a 7mm weathery for quiet a few years and was vey pleased with it. I thought the recoil was maybe just slightly more than an 30-06 - not bad at all. I also had the 300 weatherby for a short time. It'll definately get your attention. I don't know why, but I thought it's recoil was worse than a 338 win mag that I had. 7 mm weatherby ammo has become hard to find and I don't think reminton is making brass for it any longer. I really liked my 7 weatherby but why not get a 7mm rem mag ( in a weatherby rifle) and have better availability of factory ammo and brass for reloading? The 300 is excellent if a person can handle it.