Pick a caliber...

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I think if you want to stick to the 6mm/243 bullets and you also want elk-capable, you’re not going to get a lot of support. Having never elk hunted myself, there are many who would not support the 243 as an elk caliber at all.

That being said, if you want more performance and want to stay as close to 243 ballistics as possible then a 25-06 in a 24” barrel is almost certainly going to fit the best when you talk about speed and flattest shooting.

If you bump up the bullet a little more, you can get into the 6.5 Creedmoor. I think the 25-06 is actually faster and flatter shooting out to about 500 yards. The Creedmoor will drift less in the wind and have better ballistics out past 500 yards if that is important to you.
 
I’m a little confused here, it happens a lot... You said “no magnums”, then turn around and list .375 H&H and the .458 Lott. Though it can be done, it doesn’t get much “more magnum” than those.

Then you mention fast & flat, Contender and Encore pistol cartridge, and elk hunting. I think you’re looking for a unicorn cartridge to do all 3 of those. Best I can do is 2 of 3. Anything from the 6.5-06 to the 7mm Weatherby would do all but the Contender/Encore pistol. You could do that as well, but when you start shortening the barrel, you’all be loosing ground on the fast & flat. Also these medium bore magnums will not be too much magnum. Nothing resembling the .375 or .458 to your shoulder.

Wyman
 
I hunt deer with 260 Remington and 6.5 Creedmoor. Both are light kicking, straight shooting CXP2 class game cartridges. My preference is for 140 grain bullets. That way, I have something suitable for black bear should one wander through.

Ditto the 6.5x55 Swede.
 
Another option if you want to stay with a 6.5 bullet would be the 6.5 PRC. It's a 6.5 CM on steroids. I don't know if it's considered a magnum, but it does require a magnum bolt face in a bolt action.
 
If you like your T/Cs, why not consider a Pro Hunter rifle in .300 Win Mag? Dad bought a barrel for his at 63 and put 100 rounds through it over a 3-4 hour range session. With the FlexTech stock, muzzle brake, and full tilt 180gr loads it’s like shooting .243 My (then) 8 year old son put a few down range with it and was smiling, not crying after.

In this day and age there’s no sense in limiting yourself too much with recoil when modern assistance is available.

This was in preparation for a moose hunt.
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Currently serving as my muzzleloader this October.
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The .300 win mag barrel. Like a pooch.
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If you reload you can load 30-06 from 110gr to 220gr easily, with sabots you can load lower than that. I load 125gr low recoil loads that are accurate at 100yrds and 168gr loads that are accurate at 300. It has been around over 100 yrs so problems have been worked out
 
I would go 6.5 Creed due to current ammo and current rifle options.

It's hot right now which means plenty of choices.

But dang, that's a good list. I don't think you'll ever get the "right" answer coz they are all "right"
 
Warning, this is a long 'un!

For crying out loud. There've been 5000 rounds down the .270. Re-barrel and put another 5000 rounds out of what must be a favorite.

I agree with that... well mostly. It begs the question that, at 5000 rounds, is the barrel on a .270 really shot out? I've no way of knowing exactly but I'll bet the .270 on my wall is getting close to that and isn't close to being worn out. Is the op's that far gone? I suppose so or he wouldn't be asking. So barring an overhaul of the existing rifle, I maintain that the .25-06 or 7mm Mauser are both perfect for what he wants.

Failing that, the venerable '06 gets my vote. Buzznrose said it best, honestly. I've shot far, far too much game with mine to not give it the honor its due. So here she is:

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My '06 is a Remington 700. "Old meat on the table" as she's been called by all those who've seen her work. I just call her my stalking rifle (close as I'll get to one anyhow). The peep is a Williams I put on after Dad gave her to me. With 180 grain bullets, I've managed to stop anything on four legs here in the Ozarks and generally with one shot. Its good out to about 200. Past that my eyes won't cooperate.

So I leave you with this opinionated statement: if you want something "completely different", buy a .25-06 or 7x57, and have fun with it. Load for it, and shoot it often. But for guaranteed performance on game from groundhogs to moose, buy an old "ought six" and thank me later. Five generations, two world wars, and a dozen different countries who've utilized it can't all be wrong.

Mac
 
Like others have said, you really need to jump up to a 375 H&H to get more punch than what your 270 offers. A 243 would fill a gap in your collection and it's a near perfect deer round IMO, but way too little for elk.

One other option I just thought of - 300 H&H Magnum. A guy I know hunts with one. It's a necked down 375 that shoots 180 gr bullets at 270 speeds or 200 gr bullets at 30-06 speeds; definitely elk capable. Ammo costs are ridonkulous ($60/box), but if you want cool factor, it's definitely there.
 
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LGS has 150gr and 180gr 30-06 factory for 15$ a box, I purchased some Remington last year for that and there was a 5$ a box rebate, that is decent hunting ammo. Same store 6.5cr was 20$ and up.
I just got a 6.5 grendal, they make it in AR platform and bolt actions I'm not sure about the TC
 
I have 2 "traditional hunting rifles"- a RAR in 6.5 CM and a 700 sporter in 243. I feel that either of these will work nicely for anything I may desire to shoot in the lower 48. In addition, I have a bolt action 300 BLK suppressed, but that has essentially been commandeered by Mrs FL-NC as her deer rifle. I also have AR's in 223 and 308 that I COULD (and have) used for deer and hogs, and a couple of long range 308 bolt actions I could use for whatever I need to shoot "way out there", if the opportunity arose. If I was going to downsize to 1 centerfire rifle for hunting, it would be the RAR in 6.5 CM.
 
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