idahofishnhunt
Well-known member
I haven't even looked for powder or brass since last fall. I found some great grouping with Varget, but I only had a half a pound left and couldn't find anymore so ended up with H4350 for my loads.
.243 for elk
- Thread starter T Bone
- Start date
I haven't even looked for powder or brass since last fall. I found some great grouping with Varget, but I only had a half a pound left and couldn't find anymore so ended up with H4350 for my loads.
Topgun 30-06
Active member
I also think that was an excellent choice over the smaller .243 for a kid on an elk. You can start her out low and work loads on up and I'll bet by next season she''ll be shooting full loads with plenty of confidence to get it done. Yep, a .243 is a heck of a good caliber, but it really wasn't meant for the bigger animals that a number of folks use it on. Sure it will kill them, but it's HOW QUICK and where might they go before they die.
I posted a video that shows that is worked fine at over 6X that distance.
"Energy" is about the most worthless indicator to look at for killing cartridges IMO...
ida homer
Well-known member
I said, "not to start a war," in my previous post. To each their own.
Old_Doe_Shooter
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Yeppers... load a good bullet down to around 2400-2500 fps and she's good to go. My wife has taken elk, caribou. kudu and more with her little 7/08 but shot placement is key. The comment above about ear plugs and muffs is a wise one too. Lots of new shooters compare loud noise with a recoil. My daughter was a classic case... "rifles recoil, shotguns don't" (LOL) She'd shoot honkers from a jon boat with 12 ga 3 inch mags but it took a team of horses to get her to just TRY a rifle. Teenagers know everything. By 15 she was a convert. She's a 7/08 shooter now too.
belly-deep
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I'm going to shoot an elk with a .243 this fall just to see what all the fuss is about...
Please do. Can I come with and film it? As some have stated, it only works until 100yds or with some arbitrary amount of "energy"!
Please do. Can I come with and film it? As some have stated, it only works until 100yds or with some arbitrary amount of "energy"!
I'm one of these dolts who thinks shooting an elk at 600 yards with a .243 is a stunt, and I also use energy to compare calibers. Isn't energy figured off of weight and velocity? What's the missing variable there that makes it such a horrible way of looking at a caliber's killing power?
I can kill a elk with a knife,and my bare hands,would that be the best way to hunt elk?
no!
a 243 would kill a elk,so would my knife,so would a 22 IR.
neither one would be a goog tool to use,for this purpose,270 would be a good tool.
25-06 better tool.
7mm-08 even better tool.
30-06 one of the best tools.
elk are tough annimals to kill,and even tougher to hunt,they move fast,and run even faster,and they can run for miles,before dying,unless you break bones,and getting close to one is a daunting task,just ask a bow hunter who hunts them on public land.
and then talk to a guide about using a 243 on elk.
an average short distant shot for elk in Oregon is 150 yards,and I would consider that really close shot.
so if you cant make a 150 yard shot on a elk,and brake bones,pick a different tool.
ethical hunting is something that needs to be taught,ethical shots on big game should allways be the norm,not the exception,especially when teaching a young hunter.
no!
a 243 would kill a elk,so would my knife,so would a 22 IR.
neither one would be a goog tool to use,for this purpose,270 would be a good tool.
25-06 better tool.
7mm-08 even better tool.
30-06 one of the best tools.
elk are tough annimals to kill,and even tougher to hunt,they move fast,and run even faster,and they can run for miles,before dying,unless you break bones,and getting close to one is a daunting task,just ask a bow hunter who hunts them on public land.
and then talk to a guide about using a 243 on elk.
an average short distant shot for elk in Oregon is 150 yards,and I would consider that really close shot.
so if you cant make a 150 yard shot on a elk,and brake bones,pick a different tool.
ethical hunting is something that needs to be taught,ethical shots on big game should allways be the norm,not the exception,especially when teaching a young hunter.
I have a good friend who uses a 7mm-08 he loves it,he uses it to hunt deer,elk,bear,cougar,and one or two beer cans each year,he told me he likes the gun,even better than his 25-06,and my 7mm R-Mag,i think he might have to buy a new one because his wife likes the gun to,and me thinks this year she will claim it as hers.:W:
ida homer
Well-known member
Please do. Can I come with and film it? As some have stated, it only works until 100yds or with some arbitrary amount of "energy"!
I didn't say it wouldn't work. Can you quote me?
Once again, what I was stressing is, it's not ideal and WHY PUSH THE BARE MIN? So that you can post a video on hunt talk of someone killing one at 600+ yards to look like a real badass?
basshauler
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I've got 10 and 11 year old daughters. Both killed whitetail bucks this year.The eleven year old killed hers at 240 yard with my 264 Win Mag. The ten year old with a 22-250. Both were perfect one shot kills. The last thing they need to do is develop a flinch. Let them dry fire the rifle on targets like cats and deer all summer long. They will develop better shooting skills without developing a flinch. When the time comes to kill an animal they will already be used to slowly squeezing the trigger on a wiggly critter and will not notice the recoil. Building solid foundations and not fear should be the goal.
If you really want some added insurance - put a good brake on it and the buy her the best ear muffs you can afford.
belly-deep
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That's not insurance and could have the exact opposite effect of that intended. I strongly suspect most flinches are caused more by muzzle blast than actual thump.
belly-deep
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Energy is actually a fairly poor predictor of killing power. If you don't believe me, look up the energy figures of a .22-250 and a .45-70 and then get back to me on how that jives with your common sense.
Velocity and bullet construction are much better, but you can't just look them up in a ballistics table. You have to know a bit about bullets first.
noharleyyet
Well-known member
Uh, TBone actually agrees that a .243 ain't enough. So do I.
...sorry pointer but I ain't takin a kinfe to a gunfight..
...sorry pointer but I ain't takin a kinfe to a gunfight..
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Uh, TBone actually agrees that a .243 ain't enough. So do I.
...sorry pointer but I ain't takin a kinfe to a gunfight..
I agree,you need both the knife,and the gun,then all basses will be coverd
That does raise red flags, thanks. If you compare more similar calibers and bullets it does make more sense though, and I wonder if it's more applicable when comparing something like a .243 partition vs. .25-06 partition vs. .270 partition.
I didn't want to get in an argument with anyone, I just have a hard time seeing mocking someone over saying they think you should get close and make sure you have more than enough power.
Belly Deep beat me to it and his analogy quite sound. Bullet construction is much more important than any "energy" figure, IMO.
Though I realize this is a bit of an extreme comparison, often times I think these show the issue more clearly. A 30-06, which everyone will agree is a good elk round, shooting a 125gr softpoint bullet at 3140fps has an "energy" of 2758 ft/lbs at the muzzle. A 243 shooting a 100gr Partition at 2850fps has an energy of 1814ft/lbs. Just comparing energy figures the 30-06 load should be a much better elk load right? 2758 ft/lbs delivered by a light for caliber, varmint bullet is better than a smaller diameter, controlled expansion premium bullet delivering 1814ft/lbs, isn't it?
