.243 for elk?

[MountainWalk]

I knew a guy in MT who said "243, the for those too cheap for a real elk gun, but too proud to throw rocks!"

[Kittman]

It's nice to have a backup hunting appliance in camp, mine happens to be a .243 Win. rifle.  If I'm out hunting Elk or any other legal creature and I take a spill and dump my scope of my 7mm WSM or .308 Win. against the ground or a rock, proper risk assessment would dictate, at least to me that the .243 all of the sudden becomes the main player.  It has the power, over 1200 Foot Pounds at 200 yards which is the minimum recommended.  I wouldn't hesitate to use it for the purpose of Elk hunting out to 200 yards or so.

[boomstick]

The question at first was does any hunt with a .243 not what the best caliber is for elk.  Yes we do hunt with it you just have to use the right bullet at the right range shot placement is also very important. A lung shot or heart shot on any animal it will not go far. So on the .243 good gun good bullet good eating!

[Karl Blanchard]

I wonder if any of these lightly armed sportsmen/women have ever lost an elk? I mean, we all make mistakes. Tons of lions in Africa have been killed with the 303 Brit; elephant too. But countless untold went crippled and or lost.     If you are going elk hunting, and do indeed plan on killing one, then you are going to have to pack him out. Thats worse than the kick of any  rifle.  Kick is just a flash instant of noise. I've never been bothered by recoil while on game. If you spend days after something, one flash instance of something isn' going to be a dec iding or limiting factor in getting the job done.

Agreed that recoil in the heat of battle is irrelevant but if the recoil is too great that one cannot practice effectively than it doesn't matter.  I would rather have someone shoot an underpowered cartridge and be able to put that round in the money than shoot a larger caliber that they can't shoot accurately with because they can't practice.

[Woodchuck]

  Very well stated

[MountainWalk]

Remington makes an awesome line of reduced recoil loads. Taught my wife with the 125 30"06. She practices with the lites, then loads up with 180"s for hunting.

[Woodchuck]

Do they shoot similar to the 180's?

[MountainWalk]

In my exp, very closely out to 200. Beyond that, the reduced loads lose steam.

[Woodchuck]

Thank you. Food for thought.

[snowpack]

It'll work, I've known a few guys that have killed bulls with .22-250 and .220 swift because they didn't want to mess up the capes with the big guns.
I don't recommend it for beginners on big animals, but if they are determined to use it I would be very selective in what bullet to use. 

[Broken Arrow]

I was trying to look up a story I once read about where as some famous old trapper used nothing but a .243 for all his hunts in Alaska. My search took me upon an Alaskan hunting forum where folks were having the same discussion, if the .243 was adequate for moose? The 3 pages I read were slanted about 60/40 in favor of the round. Go figure....

[Don Fischer]

And what would you get to hunt elk with if all you could have was one rifle? I'm quite sure there are those on here that would still say the 243!

[RadSav]

I was trying to look up a story I once read about where as some famous old trapper used nothing but a .243 for all his hunts in Alaska. My search took me upon an Alaskan hunting forum where folks were having the same discussion, if the .243 was adequate for moose? The 3 pages I read were slanted about 60/40 in favor of the round. Go figure....

I think the key word there, as it is here, is "adequate".  I'm sure it is not preferred for moose or elk, but it certainly is adequate.

Anyone remember the old advertisement featuring the guy that stopped a charging Kodiak brown bear with his .243? I think it was a Nosler Partition ad.  I bought my first 6mm after seeing that ad!  It was a good one. 

[Biggerhammer]

Who says it only takes one? I shoot them into the ground, however many it takes.

much prefer one accurate shot. One shot, one kill..pretty easy with an accurate, light recoiling .243

One shot, one kill is a farce, movie stuff.

[RadSav]

Who says it only takes one? I shoot them into the ground, however many it takes.

much prefer one accurate shot. One shot, one kill..pretty easy with an accurate, light recoiling .243

One shot, one kill is a fares, movie stuff.

No matter how dirty the barrel is, when the squaw has a big one in front of her, a single fowling shot is always needed.  That's her story and she's sticking with it