How far to kill an elk with a .243?

[joseph]

This may surprise you.

Interesting Vid - Girl pole axes elk at 688y with a 105g VLD in a .243 Win - Georgia Outdoor News Forum

joseph

[WildRose]

You can kill an elephant with an ice pick if you stick it straight into it's brian or spine too.

That doesn't make it a good idea to try.

All this shows is what many of us repeat here daily, which is that shot placement and bullet choice are more important factors than caliber.

Great shot by the little gal.

[Sully2]

Id like to have watched "Part II". Thats where someone took that rifle by the barrel and beat both the girl shooting and her "coach" ( remind me to never ask that guys input for anything) about the head and shoulders for even attempting it.

Im sure that at the distance of 2 feet a killing shot with a 22 rimfire pistol could have been made......right between that elks eyes!

Like WildRose stated...just because you CAN doesnt mean its a good idea to do it and it sure as hell isnt very sportsman like.

[snowpro440]

Some guys just have no idea what there guns are capable of unless you practice shooting the distance. I have shot repeatably at 100 to 500 yards an I feel very confident on hitting anything out to 500 yds with a vital killing shot. As I am sure they too have practiced shooting at all distances an tuning there guns with there ammo to acheive that goal . So really can you find fault in the shot ? Seems to me they did what they set out to do by laying all the ground work first and making the shot . Takes alot of practice to get to that level.

[Sully2]

Originally Posted by snowpro440

Some guys just have no idea what there guns are capable of unless you practice shooting the distance. I have shot repeatably at 100 to 500 yards an I feel very confident on hitting anything out to 500 yds with a vital killing shot. As I am sure they too have practiced shooting at all distances an tuning there guns with there ammo to acheive that goal . So really can you find fault in the shot ? Seems to me they did what they set out to do by laying all the ground work first and making the shot . Takes alot of practice to get to that level.

The bottom line is that a .243 IS NOT an "elk gun".....in no way shape nor form. In this case did the girl dispatch one quickly...most definitively, YES. But what if..she hadnt placed that bullet exactly where she did?? A spine shot is one thing...a PLANNED...ACHIEVED spine shot is another. What if the elk had been hit 6" lower? Not at all Impossible to have happen at said distance. The someone would have been chasing a wounded elk all over the mtns.

[Broz]

I was behind or next to he gun for over a dozen elk taken this year. Longest shot was my wife at 816 yards. But she was using a 338 Lapua with a 300 Berger. I see many elk taken every year with many calibers and bullets. The part that bothers me here about John's Coaching more than the small caliber is the follow up. He should be training to chamber a folow up round and get back on the elk for a good while. Many times they will get back up. A follow up shot was not even chambered, that is proven by when the girl tried to pt the safety back on it would not go. At least one of them was thinking. But it seems he was more interested in the video than the elk.

PS: No hunter with me will be using a .243 either.

JMO

Jeff

[Sully2]

"But it seems he was more interested in the video than the elk."

Yepper! A lot of "look at me" sort of thing in that video.