So what wrong with a .243 on Elk?

[Topgun 30-06]

Shot my first elk in 1961 with a 180 gr Partition using an 06. 10 years later I bought a 300 WM and have never looked back. You can kill an elk with just about anything as the posts here prove. I have seen them killed with 250's on up. But if you want to kill it cleanly and ethically time after time, one must use enough gun and bullet. I personally know of 4 elk killed with 6 mm caliber rifles. One was recovered the other 3 lost. Small bullets make small holes, small wound channels and leave "no" room for error. If one can make a perfect shot "every" time then caliber makes little difference. If your part of the 90+ % that occasionally does not make the perfect shot then use the largest cartridge that you can shoot accurately. Elk are big, tough and will wander into some of the most nasty country on the planet, when wounded. On dry hard ground with little blood they are not likely to be recovered.

***I wonder how many guys are going to tell him that before it starts sinking in!!!

 

[Greg Duerr]

Top Gun

Could you do me a favor .......................Tell it to me one more time I need to hear it from you again, but go into more detail Im kind of shallow when it comes to things.

G

 

[Greg Duerr]

Bigngreen

Just a little more pounding on the keyboard and I will feel better...............

Thanks for the info and your patience

 

[dave elliott]

here,s my 2 cents. if a 243 was all i had to hunt elk with i would ensure myself a double lung shot before ever shooting. having said that i want to anchor a big bull quickly. my caliber for elk is a 300 wsm 180 gr power point.

 

[MNhunter86]

Marlin 1895 .45-70 is my preference for all large game. Its probably a little overkill for whitetail but what does it matter I'm not eating the organs anyway so just blow the heck out of them and do less tracking.

 

[Greg Duerr]

For Timber hunting out to 100yds + the 45-70 is super. I think that if I did live in a timbered area that would be a fun gun to have .....................300gr Hollow Point, 350gr 400 I would imagine it leaves a nice blood trail............you could follow in the Dark.

G

 

[35whelen375]

For Timber hunting out to 100yds + the 45-70 is super. I think that if I did live in a timbered area that would be a fun gun to have .....................300gr Hollow Point, 350gr 400 I would imagine it leaves a nice blood trail............you could follow in the Dark.

G

and it hits 500+ pounds harder at 150 yards than the .243 with a much bigger hole, -usually no blood trail

 

[Greg Duerr]

I shot a mule deer one year with a 45-70 300gr Hollow point and there was blood all over the snow.............................it was messy

 

[MNhunter86]

I shot a mule deer one year with a 45-70 300gr Hollow point and there was blood all over the snow.............................it was messy

Most of the hunting I do in Minnesota is actually pretty close range most of it is 150yrds or less because of the terrain I usually hunt. After the first weekend I like doing deer drives with friends. I usually am one of the pushers and its fun to try to shoot the deer on the drive the standers hate that. "Your supposed to be pushing them to us too shoot!" lol no we are trying to shoot deer.

Messy makes it easy