Going to Wyoming in October for a Cow Elk, with my 6.5 Grendel.

[Laman]

I have been shooting game with various 6.5's for 30 years and have killed several elk with bigger calibers. That high shoulder or correctly place neck shot is the only one I would take with a Grendel and it would be less than 300 yards.

[A5BLASTER]

In other words, hit the spine or do significant indirect damage to the spine (hyrdraulic/hydrostatic shock) such that the animal is crippled and dies quickly with no trailing or is outright killed.

Exactly that. A very quick and humain kill that keeps the animal from experiencing little to no suffering and saves time and effort and metal stress on the hunter trying to track a animal.

The only caveat too taking that kind of shot, is to not use a bullet that can are will fragment easily upon impact with bone. Useing a good bonded are copper bullet to take a cns type shot will lessen the amount of meat damage but still drop the animal in place due too the amount of damage imparted to the cns.