.243 for elk?

[Curly]

 

[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 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

I don't hunt with squaws.😉

[RadSav]

I don't hunt with squaws.😉

.

Believe me. I often wish I could say the same 

[martin1]

i shot several spikes with my 243,my brother has shot a couple with his 243. farthest  i shot one that was at 300 yards in the lungs.its all about shot placement  he took a few steps and tipped over. 100 grain nosler partion does the trick 

[sakoshooter]

A 22LR has killed many an animal in the headlights but I doubt anyone would hunt with it on purpose.

[Biggerhammer]

i shot several spikes with my 243,my brother has shot a couple with his 243. farthest  i shot one that was at 300 yards in the lungs.its all about shot placement  he took a few steps and tipped over. 100 grain nosler partion does the trick 

Rumor has it, just the sight of a Nosler Partition has killed several Elk.

[mountainman]

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

Rad, thats funny. Maybe she wnta to make it challenging!?

Hammer, yes, it is a " farce" for some.  . There are those who need to bring a pocket o shells just to get it done! 

[Westside88]

This is one of those questions that will never be settled. My opinion is why? Especially when  a  270 win or 30 06  is easy to shoot, cheap ammo and plentiful rifles all the way from cheap to high end. But that being said, a good marksman who takes ethical shots with good bullets can definetly get it done. I still say its a little light for most

[REHJWA]

Thank you everyone. I guess what it boils down to is that it should be my wife's choice.
I pushed her to use the 30-06 because I felt it was the better round.

As far as hunting with women, it is a lot easier to get a kitchen pass when the wife is dragging you to the hills...

And I would love to se someone tell her elk hunting is not for women.
 

[RadSav]

And I would love to se someone tell her elk hunting is not for women.
 

  Join the club!

The 30-06 is too much gun for a lot of lightweight guys let alone small framed women.  O'Connor wrote a number of times about it being deceptively punishing.  My wife would rather shoot the 338WM than most '06's.  She even complains about the 7# 308 being a little harsh.  But she loves both the 270Win and the 270WSM if they have a Sims pad on them.  She'd probably shoot nothing else if they could be efficient in a lightweight 20" barrel and able to be cut down to 12.5 LOP. 

We've had a lot of discussions as to what she is going to do if we are ever lucky enough to get her a multi-season elk tag. Build her a special 7/08 or 270?  Load something special for the Bob?  Maybe it's possible to cut down a Kimber Montana   We still haven't been able to decide.  Guess we can make that decision once we finally see "Selected". 

It's a tough choice when options for women with short LOP is so limited. 

[jay.sharkbait]

And I would love to se someone tell her elk hunting is not for women.
 

  Join the club!

The 30-06 is too much gun for a lot of lightweight guys let alone small framed women.  O'Connor wrote a number of times about it being deceptively punishing.  My wife would rather shoot the 338WM than most '06's.  She even complains about the 7# 308 being a little harsh.  But she loves both the 270Win and the 270WSM if they have a Sims pad on them.  She'd probably shoot nothing else if they could be efficient in a lightweight 20" barrel and able to be cut down to 12.5 LOP. 

We've had a lot of discussions as to what she is going to do if we are ever lucky enough to get her a multi-season elk tag. Build her a special 7/08 or 270?  Load something special for the Bob?  Maybe it's possible to cut down a Kimber Montana   We still haven't been able to decide.  Guess we can make that decision once we finally see "Selected". 

It's a tough choice when options for women with short LOP is so limited.

I would point to the 1903 Springfield and the P1917 Enfield and the size of the average combat soldier during WW1 and WW2. I think alot of the recoil debate is drama driven. I have been bringing my 12yo nephew to the range for the last couple years and had him shooting everything up to the big magnums. I havent said anything about recoil or hyped one rifle as "kicking" harder than another. (I'm sure he notices it, but probably figures it's part of the deal.) I guess if he brings it up we can talk about it, but until then i'm not saying a word.

[RadSav]

I think alot of the recoil debate is drama driven.

I kind of enjoy it for whatever reason.  And I expect you are right in a way that it is a debate that adds worry and concern when not always warranted.  I'd say the plan you have with your son appears to be a good one.  But at the same time we see a dozen or so pictures each year of grown men with bleeding scope eye in their success photos.  Probably more from the 30-06 than any other.  Maybe that's because of the popularity of the '06, definitely from an improperly shouldered rifle, and maybe because folks tend to not give the '06 the respect it deserves   Either way I've seen more than one tough lady swear off the medium 30 cal because she either saw the evidence or experienced it first hand.

My wife is a tough SOB.  She's experienced more abuse than any woman should ever experience in life.  She fears very little with gun in hand.  But she absolutely hates the '06.  Is it rational?  Heck, I don't know, I've never been a 130# girl.  I do know she had an opportunity to shoot one of the largest black bear that would have ever been taken in the state of Washington.  She was so worried about shooting the 30 again she missed an absolute gimme shot she could have otherwise made with her eyes closed.  After the miss she tossed the gun at me and said, "Never, ever, ever will I shoot that gun again!"  At that moment I realized it doesn't matter what I think.  I needed to set her up with her own gun in a caliber/cartridge she had no fear of and was comfortable with.  That was a lot of dead animals and some dang BIG bears ago.

We have a saying around our house.  "If your not having fun why do it?"  With the exception of paying taxes and scrubbing the toilets we come pretty close to holding true to that.  We both have passed up and quit some stupidly high paying jobs because we were not having fun or figured we'd be miserable.  So if my lady or the OP's lady is happy shooting a 243, 25 Bob or 270 when I'd rather she was shooting a .30...I lose.  So far she has been dang near perfect with her little Bob. That makes me pretty dang happy too!

[rtspring]

I am amazed that this caliber talk goes on and on and on and on..
.243 for elk? Heck yes!!  Shoot them in the head.

Why is it so many go to a range and can put three bullets in a 3 inch circle but question calibers on big game?

Measure and elks head? Sure as heck is bigger than 3 inches!

Heart, liver, lungs?  Shoot one in its head and it will fall over dead. Be it a 22 or a 416 Rigby.

If you cant shoot good at say 300 yards, you need to get closer.. 

I shoot a .300 Rum. Why? Because I have all the confidence in the world with that cartridge. Could I use a .243? Yep all day long...

These big Magnums are a feel good to hunters, but in reality they are not  needed to kill big game.. 

Aim, breathe, squeeze!! 

Rtspring

[jason stevens]

A well placed shot with blades on the end of a stick can kill an elk so I'm sure a .243 would work also.

[dscubame]

A well placed shot with blades on the end of a stick can kill an elk so I'm sure a .243 would work also.