.243 for elk? d

Elmer Keith thought his 1903A3 30-06 shooting 220 g. roundnose bullet was not enough gun for ELK? I would take the gun that I feel most comfortable with. If you shoot a .270 then take your .270, don't go buy a 300 win mag, your not gonna be used to it, and it may cost you, your animal.
 
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I was going to get a .243, for a do everthing gun. I decided on a .270 (Tikka T3 lite). I can use 115 grain managed recoil rounds, for smaller game, (If I can ever find them).

You can always use a lighter .270, .308 or .30/06 cartrige. It's much harder to push a .243 beyond what it was designed for.

The .25/06 would also be a better dual purpose gun, than a .243.
 
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Originally Posted By: MI VHNTRThe 243 works VERY well on the northern whitetails in the UP of Michigan. Put the bullet where it belongs and you've got your deer. It works. BTDT. MI VHNTR

And just what happens when a B&C buck shows up and only presents you with a hard-quartering shot? Is your .243 going to penetrate the 24" of paunch and the off-side shoulder? Do you pass on that shot? I doubt it but even if you would, most ppl wouldn't. Then you have a lost/wounded deer. I will guarantee you that a 7MM or .30 with a good bullet WILL make that shot.
I personally shoot a 45/70 with a 300gr Barnes that will exit the nose if shot in the [beeep]. Overkill? maybe so but when a huge buck shows himself to me, I guarantee I won't pass on him because my rifle won't do what needs to be done. I also wont be tracking that buck I shot @ 300yds in the cornfield because my peashooter isn't decisive enough at that range. The .280, 7MM WSM, or 7MM-08 im shooting is though. The argument certainly can be made that the .243 can be adequate but it will never be a good deer round. I've personally seen the performance on deer and since elk can be 2X the size of a very large buck, I'd never reccommend it for elk. It's not a machismo issue as some would have you believe, it's simple physics.

I get a kick out of the "shot placement, not energy kills" line. Of course, a perfectly placed shot is preferred by ANYBODY but there isn't a successful hunter alive that hasn't made a less-than-perfect shot....except on the interweb of course. And just because a guy has killed a few deer with a marginal cartridge doesn't make it into a good cartridge. Hit the deer 4" off the mark with your .243 and you've got alot of work to do. Hit the deer 4" off the mark with a more suitable bullet at the proper velocity and it's the ENERGY that will cleanly kill that buck.
 
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if hes so hard quartering that i have to shoot him in the guts or [beeep] to get to vitals i'll pass, i dont care if hes a b&c or not, no matter how much you boil those horns you still cant eat them, and thats about all that would be any good if you made the shot your talking about hickerx2, and i happen to like the eat them, so i will just keep shooting them in the neck and not have to carry a dang cannon
 
Originally Posted By: hickerx2It's not a machismo issue as some would have you believe,

In these threads, there's also very much a "reverse-machismo" idea at play- "I don't need a BIG gun because I can place the bullet where I want."

There's nothing stopping a guy from putting a big bullet exactly where it needs to go, is there? The actual gun weighs pretty much the same, so what's the difference between carrying a .243 or a .300 Win Mag? It's only going to take a good shooter one shot, so recoil shouldn't be an issue.

I guess you should shoot what you want to shoot, but you'd better also get the results you want.
 
Originally Posted By: RubenatorAnd just think, we have one on here that admits to shooting elk with a 22-250!


Not only LEGALLY, but SUCCESSFULLY...... And THAT is more than you can say. But then again, I've been successful with a 17 hmr on cottieyodies.......It's all in where you place the pill.(Like I kinda eluded to earlier). Some truths, are way above the brainwashed.........
 
WHY
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I SHOOT A 243 AND WOULDN'T EVEN THINK OF IT.
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we go over this every year if it doesn't cleanly kill a mule deer why would you go after elk with it.
nobody makes a perfect shot every time.
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i have killed a elk with 9 243 slugs in it.
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yes, if you drug the elk tie him up at 50 yards and are sitting on a bench.
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get enough gun for the job
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you can't even compair a elk to a whitetail deer my 243 works fine in whitetail and antelope but isn't effective enough on muleys.......
with elk it IS AS MUCH WHAT YOU HIT THEM WITH AS WHERE.
anyone who hunts elk with the 243 or 22-250 hunt them in your own state.
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i trust my bow farther on elk then the 243
 
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It always amazes me when I was little it's like bear hunting everytime a larger caliber comes out the smaller caliber that was killing everything in North America today is too small...lol..Example 357 magnum is a fact. Todays bullets are better than bullet 20 years ago. Several guides would agree take what you shoot the best that is legal, if it wasn't powerful enough it wouldn't be legal, because guides say they see alot of people hunting with magnums that they only shoot during sighting in practice because they were told they need a magnum. Not trying to step on toes but some people are shoulder sensitive where they had surgery.
 
Shoulder sensitive guys (like my dad) should shoot a 6.5x55 with a 140 Partition or a 7mm08 with a 140 Partition or Accubond. I just got off the phone with my dad and that's what we decided on if he comes out here next year to hunt. I think those are two of the best choices he could use in the arsenal of what we have. I have a good back, so I'll be using my 7RM or 300 RUM. Use the most gun/bullet you can shoot well and have confidence in. If you can only shoot a 243, maybe your elk hunting days are over.
 
It's amazing how many elk gave up the ghost, to small bore, none magnum cartridges, before the internet came to be. My uncle went out to Colorado almost every year back in the 80's and came home every year with a dead animal, never using more then a 250-3000 savage in a 99 model.
 
I'll say "there are a lot of" so I don't get accused of being an idiot myself with not being gramatically correct.
 
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For all PC and intended purposes: "Next time ya'll come out here be sure to bring enough gun wifta! The DOW loves your money for the licenses you won't use, and so do the restaraunts. Be abliged and stay awhile!" "You use a 243... While I'll be....let me buy this next bud light fer you.....stay in bed a while cuz when what little oxygen hits you in the morning, you're gonna be sorry tomorrow!" Wheeee Weeee! Good goddy allmighty!
 
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a elk that doesn't drop in its tracks runs to the worst hole toughest packin out place possible.
if you are running the quarter mile do you want a 200 horse power motor or 400
same thing
with so many capable calibers why would one use a marginal one. its just dumb and asking for crippled animals
the worst thing is this post has come up every year sense al gore invented the internet.
been alot of elk wounded with a 243 too. sorry they don't have their own web sight.
how many elk guides are there in indiana? you can bet a wyoming elk guide will not suggest the 243.
 
243 for elk is stunt hunting
use something designed for the animal intended to be harvested
a 243 on elk is like driving a nail with a pair of pliers
that could be done to but why not use a hammer ????
 
Originally Posted By: huntsman22energy don't kill elk. shot placement does........
I'll take it from that that you are the guy hunting them with the .22 because energy does kill - without adequate energy and adequate projectile design you wont get adequate penetration and expansion. Correct shot placement is very important but selecting a light caliber rifle for elk is simply incompetent.


Elk have been killed with many things including stone spear points but that doesnt make .243 a wise choice. Of the low recoil cartridges the 25-06, 6.5x55, 260 Rem, & 7mm08 should be adequate with the 7mm08 being the best of the lot. Good choices would be .270, .280 30-06, .308, 7mm mag 300Wm. All heavier calibers would be adequate but not ones I would recommend for an only rifle. While its fine to have .338 WM and .375 H&H etc they simply are more gun than is advisable as an only rifle due to recoil and expense of cartridges. The expense and availablility of ammo is a factor that should be considered. What ever rifle you choose you need to take the time to know what it will do at different distances. I will recommend a scope for you also Leupold FX3 6x42 with long range duplex.
 
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