243 for elk

[WoolSocks]

New to Washington, and new elk hunter. I usually hunt archery because I like quiet woods, but I hear archery season for elk isn’t as quiet and non-competitive as I’m used to with whitetail hunting back east. Sounds like my tack might be high country with modern firearm.

Here’s the question. Can one take down an elk with a .243?

Here’s my case. My first gun was a Rem. 700 243, and after many years and many guns, it’s still my go-to. It’s incredibly light, shoots way better than it should (.5MOA with factory Hornady) and just always puts the bullet where I want. I’ve dropped several white tails at 300-400 yards if I have a tree handy to rest on, and a few at about 150 yards off-hand. Moving deer, quartered away, no problem. Have shot at least a dozen deer with it- never missed, double lung every time, never had one go farther than 20 yards. I keep telling myself I need a bigger gun, so I’ve been through 270’s, 280’s,300mag - and I find myself tracking blood trails for 200 yards. For what I’ve been hunting, bullet placement matters. Knockdown power, not so much.

True for elk, or do I just need to learn to shoot a 300mag?

[WapitiTalk1]

Welcome to the Evergreen State bud. You can kill an elk with a well placed 22-250 shot (seen it). You can kill a big game animal with a well placed field point with your bow I’m sure.  That said, I personally would use a heavier caliber than a .243 for elk. You’ve gotta think “break/devastate” bone on an elk if you would like to collect him before he hops three ridges, (insert hundreds of yards or more here).  Look to something with a “30” in its caliber title for Wapiti and you’ll be fine sir.

[Igor]

My opinion is that the animal you are hunting should be killed quickly and humanely.  The .243 is simply not the optimal caliber to do that when it comes to elk.

[Dan-o]

Lots of different opinions on this.
I'll offer mine:

A 243 is marginal for elk.    A well placed shot into the heart/lungs will definitely kill an elk, but a larger round does provide some room for error or less optimal shots.

You'd want to use a different bullet for elk than you are using for deer.   Something stout, like a Nosler Partition that will retain a lot of weight through a tougher animal than deer.

I'd also think you'd want to limit shot to some distance 300 yards or less.
Yes, there are videos of elk getting killed at long range with a 243......    'I wouldn't try it.

I think something like a 30-06 is a much better choice for elk.
If you can go up in killing power, do it.

Best of luck.

[PsoasHunter]

I'm with these fellas, there are better calibers than the. 243 for elk.  If you're used to a .243, a 300 win mag is maybe too big of a jump up to get comfortable with. I know I don't shoot huge calibers like that as well, recoil jump is real whether we like to admit it or not.

I'll second the 30-06, it's a great all around caliber for washington and for elk. If you're not shooting bigger calibers well, maybe a muzzle brake would help?

[Humptulips]

I'm with the crowd so far. .243 is not enough for elk.

[Jolten]

I believe most "experts" recommend 1500 ft/lbs of energy at impact for elk. My .243 wouldn't be my first choice for elk. My .308 using 165gr or my 26 Nosler with 127 Barnes would be my first choices

[OltHunter]

I wouldn't use a 243 for elk, but given budgets and individuals situations, it could be done but well within 200 yards and is legal here.

If possible, use it as a good reason to buy a new rifle. You don't need much more, like a 7mm-08 or 308 to be in a better spot for elk. You don't need a magnum.

[phildobaggins]

I’ve seen some slick .30 cal rifles for sale on the forum. I say get a second hand .30 cal and have confidence. Doesn’t need to be a 300 win Mag. Welcome to WA.

[bobcat]

I'd say only if you're using a 243 to challenge yourself, and to make your hunt harder. I'd want to be within a couple hundred yards and have a perfect shot. So yeah, if you'd be willing to get closer and pass up all marginal shots I think it would be fine. It's just that I'm not sure this is the state to be making your elk hunt more challenging by using a small caliber rifle.

[jrebel]

I would say shot placement and bullet choice are more important than caliber.   Clearly the bigger calibers will carry more punch (energy), but that often leads to hunters taking less than optimal shots….”I’ve got the big 338 so that shot should work” mentality.   Know your limits and make an ethical shot and a .243 is plenty enough gun for an elk.   

What bullet are you shooting?   If you say hornady SST, I would say that is not a good elk bullet in any caliber.

I’ve got a 7-08 that shoots 101 grain hammers that I know would crush an elk with a properly places shot. 

[blackveltbowhunter]

Sounds like you shoot the gun very well, and I would typically be a guy that would advise shot placement over caliber. But.... 243 is very light. Elk, especially bigger bodied bulls are incredibly tough and hold on to life. The bone and muscle structure is much denser than even heavy bodied whitetails and blacktail. You can for sure kill them with it and it sounds like you could be a candidate to do so. However, nothing stings like the heartbreak of losing one, especially if you can't square with yourself you did everything in your power to keep it from happening. If  sticking with the 243 be extremely selective and research an appropriate bullet. What your shooting currently is not it. If possible, i think a 308 might be a great step up, offering higher bullet weights and options and still very manageable recoil in light handy guns.

[HillHound]

I had a friend when I was younger that was in the same boat. Dad had bought him a youth model Remington 243 when he was like eight. Only rifle he owned until he was in his 30s. He killed the biggest blacktail bucks I have ever seen with that little gun. One 7 x 7 that you would swear it was a white tail. And he did kill four or five elk with it over the years to. But he lost more elk than anybody I know. Four I can think of off the top of my head that he shot with that little 243 that were either not found or took a extensive tracking job to find them miles away still alive or once with somebody else already gutting it after they had put the finishing shot in it. That was the final straw and He finally moved up to a 300 savage. Now if he can even find ammo for that gun he probably can’t afford it since the prices have skyrocketed on that caliber. I have killed a bear, a cougar, and a half dozen deer with a 243 for the same reasons you have, it’s light and accurate so it’s easy to gravitate towards it when the safe opens, but you need more to consistently kill elk in less than perfect conditions. 270 minimum if I was buying a new gun for elk. I like my 300wsm it has gotten the job done for me on deer, elk, bears, and a moose. You can find light for caliber bullets for deer and coyote  or the big heavy solids for heavy bone and hide.

[WoolSocks]

Sounds like the consensus is to go up, unless I want to always do head shots 😁. Going to miss my 4-pound tack driving .243 though. I can shoot a 300 mag  off a bench all day. In the real world, taking offhand shots with a 9-pound gun after lugging it up the side of a mountain is so much less fun. Agreed on the recoil flinching. Most of us can take a shoulder-pounding at the range without pulling shots, but in the field some corner of our mind knows a heavy recoil gun might punish you for failing to tuck it in perfectly, or for having your eye just a little too close to the scope. Might have to build me a setup with a big ol’ recoil pad and some glass that has lots of eye relief.

Why 30-06 over.270 or 7mm, though? The recoil isn’t all that different, and the flatter trajectory gets you some range. 

[WapitiTalk1]

Sounds like the consensus is to go up, unless I want to always do head shots 😁. Going to miss my 4-pound tack driving .243 though. I can shoot a 300 mag  off a bench all day. In the real world, taking offhand shots with a 9-pound gun after lugging it up the side of a mountain is so much less fun. Agreed on the recoil flinching. Most of us can take a shoulder-pounding at the range without pulling shots, but in the field some corner of our mind knows a heavy recoil gun might punish you for failing to tuck it in perfectly, or for having your eye just a little too close to the scope. Might have to build me a setup with a big ol’ recoil pad and some glass that has lots of eye relief.

Why 30-06 over.270 or 7mm, though? The recoil isn’t all that different, and the flatter trajectory gets you some range.

I have a buddy who drew a primo rifle tag in Idaho a few years back. He shot his trophy 6X with a custom 7MM mag. The bull barely flinched at two dead center lung shots until the 3rd shot in bone/shoulder brought him down.  I’m telling you, you need a bone crunching round to drop Mr Bull.  I’m not just recommending, I’m telling you what it is. 06, 270, and 7MM are great deer rounds…… Look at a 30 Caliber if you want to ensure you do the job right. Just my meager opinion