Whose Killed elk with 243?

[Prime Time]

My dad has used a 6mm his whole life and has put down quite a few elk with it and many deer, hasn't lost an animal yet with it. I used it for a few years when I was little until I was old enough to pack my own gun around, which ended up being a .243, great shooting guns and they won't go far if ya hit them right.

[Hornseeker]

No I am getting excited to shoot some stuff with it!!

heck, 5 yrs ago I used my 22-250 (now my 243, rebarreled model 700) to drop a lope with and it was perfect. 55 grain bullet whacked the Sheeet out of that lope buck. Heck, this 85 grain 243 will hit a LOT harder than that 55 grain 22....

Thanks, I will keep you all posted of the results!!

[spotter26]

i'm sure with good shot placement it wouls do fine but, i thought you could only hunt elk in washington state with .25 caliber or bigger.

[GoldTip]

i'm sure with good shot placement it wouls do fine but, i thought you could only hunt elk in washington state with .25 caliber or bigger.

He's not hunting Washington, at least I wouldn't if I lived where he does.

[spotter26]

it is .24 cal i was mistaken. Hmmmm hunting-washington.com i would have to asume we are mostly washington hunters.

[Hornseeker]

REally, WA doesn't allow the 243 for elk??

Thanks for all the input. Yeah, I alive in Montana, have for abotu 12 years now, but was born and raised in Washington. Lived in Duvall for 18 years, then Ellensburg for 5, Silverdale for a couple then Poulsbo for a couple... THEN.... AHHH YEAH.... off to Montana. I enjoy the forum because it reminds me of "home" and I still have LOTS of friends hunting in Washington!

[WDFW-SUX]

a 22-250 will kill an elk dead. Just ask the Yakimas.

[TONTO]

 I don't believe it is in the regs anymore, but didn't 100grn use to be legal minimum. Must have done away with that when they got rid of the energy requirements for hand guns. Not saying 85grn won't get it done, shot placement is the deciding factor, but it seems kinda light for elk, hell 100 seems light for elk. Dead is dead though, shoot em where it kills em and they do go down.

[Curly]

REally, WA doesn't allow the 243 for elk??

Thanks for all the input. Yeah, I alive in Montana, have for abotu 12 years now, but was born and raised in Washington. Lived in Duvall for 18 years, then Ellensburg for 5, Silverdale for a couple then Poulsbo for a couple... THEN.... AHHH YEAH.... off to Montana. I enjoy the forum because it reminds me of "home" and I still have LOTS of friends hunting in Washington!

24 cal or larger as Spotter26 stated is legal.

Here is the quote from the regs:

"Modern Firearm Regulations

Rifles:
Big game, except cougar, must be hunted with a minimum of 24 caliber (6mm) centerfire rifle.  Cougar may be hunted with 22 caliber centerfire rifle. Rimfire rifles are not legal for big game."

[buglin4bulls]

When did that change? I have killed elk with a 243 before and it wasn't like that 

[Rick]

I wouldn't go down to the store and buy a .243 with the intentions of it being my elk rifle. On the other hand,if thats what I had in my hands when a big bull stepped out in front of me,I'd have no issues dropping the hammer.

Elk aren't as bullet proof as the internet commandos and Outdoor Life make them out to be. Its all about the shot placement. Shoot them in the guts with a .338 and they'll run for miles. Shoot them in the lungs with a .243 and they die pretty quickly.

[high country]

I wouldn't go down to the store and buy a .243 with the intentions of it being my elk rifle. On the other hand,if thats what I had in my hands when a big bull stepped out in front of me,I'd have no issues dropping the hammer.

Elk aren't as bullet proof as the internet commandos and Outdoor Life make them out to be. Its all about the shot placement. Shoot them in the guts with a .338 and they'll run for miles. Shoot them in the lungs with a .243 and they die pretty quickly.

x2......shot placement trumps fancy bullets at warp 30

[Skinnyman]

When did that change? I have killed elk with a 243 before and it wasn't like that 

A 243 is a 24 cal. A 243 is the smallest legal caliber.

[300UltraMagShooter]

See, these are the kinds of statements that really confuse me.  I'm not trying to be mean or argumentative.  I really want to know the answer.

If it is all about shot placement, then why not go looking for a .243 as your elk rifle?

 

I wouldn't go down to the store and buy a .243 with the intentions of it being my elk rifle. On the other hand,if thats what I had in my hands when a big bull stepped out in front of me,I'd have no issues dropping the hammer.

Elk aren't as bullet proof as the internet commandos and Outdoor Life make them out to be. Its all about the shot placement. Shoot them in the guts with a .338 and they'll run for miles. Shoot them in the lungs with a .243 and they die pretty quickly.

[Skinnyman]

Elk aren't as bullet proof as the internet commandos and Outdoor Life make them out to be. Its all about the shot placement. Shoot them in the guts with a .338 and they'll run for miles. Shoot them in the lungs with a .243 and they die pretty quickly.

Not to be argumentative either, but anything will die with a lung shot from any gun. But with a small caliber like a 243 there is a much smaller margin of error than with a larger more powerful cartridge/bullet. If you accidentally are a couple inches too far forward and hit the shoulder with a 243, it will be hard pressed to make it through the shoulder bone into the lungs and retain enough energy and mass to cause a lot of lung damage. In a perfect bench rest, still target world anything works. But when out in the woods with moving targets at varying distances and varying angles, there it a lot of heavier/larger cartidges that would be far better for elk. With a 243 you also have to be a lot choosier when deciding on an angling shot, because you dont have the depth of penetration and ft/lbs of energy as some of the larger calibers/cartridges. Any animal gut shot with any gun, will die very slowly no matter the caliber/cartridge.

Now, if a 243 is all you have and you want to hunt elk, go for it. Just make sure you have a great shot, and you are a very good shot from your rifle. Statistically only 4 out of 10 hunters even sight in their rifles prior to hunting season. And I am sure far less than that shoot enough (lots more than once or twice a year) to be solidly proficient.