I shoot a 300wsm a lot further than 500 yards at steel. I have killed a handful of elk between 400 and 550 yards with it as well as the 338 win mag I had for awhile. 30 calibers are great but when it comes to killing big things at extended ranges I would go up in caliber. My 338 didn't kill anything more dead than my 300wsm does but it seemed to hit them a lot harder and put them down quicker.....Sold my 338 win mag because my dad and I bought a Lapua for late season meat collecting.

That said, if you run a heavy bullet as fast as you can safely push it with your 30-06 you probably wont be under gunned. I have seen data claiming 2750fps with a 208gr A-max....I shoot the same bullet at 2875fps in my 300wsm and don't think twice about taking a long shot on an animal that is calm and I have good conditions.

The main thing is practicing.....I practice at 2 to 3 times the distance I will take a shot at an animal with any of my equipment including handguns and my bow and arrows.....and I do a lot of practicing probably 200 to 300 shots on steal for the 1 to 4 shots I take in the field at critters.