Doesn't mean much...unless you're shooting elk at 100 yards. Don't even know much about your platform. Fixed crosshairs? Spinning turrets? BDC? Bedded, trigger, firing pin assembly? Chrono'd load? How is all that relating to your platform? How much have you shot past 100?
Here's a 5-shot 100 yard group I shot with my 7-08...big deal. Doesn't mean a lot, other than what it says about what the rifle is doing at 100...on a calm day, with good handloads, off a bench.
I spent some time at the range today with that 7-08 and 140 AB's. 250, 300, 350, 400 yards cold bore, first shot hits on 6 inch steel no problem. 450, 500 and 550....cold bore, first shot hits on 12 inch steel (stayed inside 10 inches, worst shot was at 500 2 inches inside the 12 inch plate).
With the wind, and my abilities today, 600+ was 100% too far...wiffed the 12 inch steel and came home. Other days, 600, 650, 750...no problem.
Personally, I wouldn't have shot over 400 at a live animal with the conditions the way they were today. I called that from the time I stepped out of the truck. Doped the wind pretty good and stayed on target to 550, but wouldn't have chanced it in a hunting situation.
Again, how the shooter and platform perform, under varying conditions, at different ranges, is going to tell you more than ballistics. 100 yard targets are for sighting in, .768 is good at 100, but what it does at 200, 300, etc. etc. may be all together different.
Like I said, what the round is capable of via ballistics, is not going to define a maximum range...ability, or lack-there-of, from the platform and shooter will determine maximum range to kill an elk.
That maximum range will also change depending on conditions.
Questions like these scare me...
