Caribou Gear

These work?

choc dogs

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I've got a large supply of these bullets for my son's 243. Think they're tough enough for elk?
 

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After may misses then successes in taking antelope and deer, my son at twelve years old took his first elk, a large cow, with one shot from his 243. Yes, that will do just fine for your son.
 
what do they weigh? I assume they are gas checked bullets. How fast are you shooting them? I would not think twice about shooting an elk with the right load and cast bullet from a .243. I am a careful sort of guy though and would have quite a bit of homework done on my load. Bet they will preform every bit as well as this .223 x 53 grain TSX did out of a 22/250 on an elk this past winter. Small hole in the lungs, dead elk about 30 yards later. I'm not advocating small bore stunt shooting, but it does work for a lot of people.
 

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twodot, glad your elk died. That bullet is why I don't trust Barnes. mtmuley
 
I've got a large supply of these bullets for my son's 243. Think they're tough enough for elk?
They would probably kill an Elk, but might not be legal in some states. In Colorado, you must use an "Expanding Bullet" that weighs at least 85 grains.
I don't know if the Game & Fish Dept would consider that an expanding bullet. A soft point or hollow point is probably what they were thinking when they wrote the Regs.
 
twodot, glad your elk died. That bullet is why I don't trust Barnes. mtmuley

I think elk deserve more respect than to try to kill one with the lightest bullet possible. That 22/250 with a 53 grain bullet while legal, probably not what I wouldconsider ethical. But that's just my opinion.
 
twodot, glad your elk died. That bullet is why I don't trust Barnes. mtmuley

muley and bawanna, that was not my elk,or bullet, or choice of caliber that day. I was along with a friend who declined the offer of my 30-06 shooting 180s in favor of his 22/250. I was not thrilled about it, but know full well that it works just fine, if one is particular about their shooting. I also am no fan of solid copper bullets of any brand that I have fired.
Now, would I shoot an elk with a cast lead in .243 absolutely, after a good bit of personal research to help know my limits. Like I say, I don't recomend shooting ultra lite stuff like that, but have seen it work so often to not be afraid of it any more.
 
It is not a question of rifle caliber or bullet. It is a question of the shooters capabilities. I assume you both are new to elk hunting. No to the bullet and no to the rifle caliber. A 243 is only good in a skilled elk hunters hands, never for a newbe.
 
It is not a question of rifle caliber or bullet. It is a question of the shooters capabilities. I assume you both are new to elk hunting. No to the bullet and no to the rifle caliber. A 243 is only good in a skilled elk hunters hands, never for a newbe.

100% agree.
 
Whether you are a non-res, or a resident, you still have a substantial amount of money tied up in an elk hunt. I would want the best quality ammo/caliber that I could come up with. Cast bullets are made to be shot slow and one out of a .243 is best left to the target range. I cannot believe that you would even consider that bullet, with so many good ones available.

The .243 is marginal at best and if you are hell-bent on using one, THEN GET AN APPROPRIATE BULLET!
 
As someone said before a .243 for elk is best kept in the hands of an experienced hunter using a premium bullet. Again have some respect for the animal you are about to shoot.
 
For the record, not shooting the cast bullets, I spent today loading partitions. I figure since I have a bunch I can use the cast bullets to give him a lot of trigger time. The reason for the 243 is simply he shoots it better than anything else I have. He's spent some time behind a 7x57
that's in the safe and he simply doesn't shoot it as well . The 243 is his and he used it last year on his first two deer. Confidence does a lot, and I'll be side by side with him to help with decision making.
 
A kid that can accurately shoot a .243 is going to kill more elk than a kid shooting an '06, .270 , etc. like chit ever will.

Shot placement is where its at, a distant second is a quality bullet.

You're doing the best thing you can, getting him trigger time with the rifle he will be hunting with. Also, with good bullets, the .243 is far from a marginal elk rifle...

I wonder how many people that reply to these types of threads have actually shot an elk with a .243?

I have, and never had anything close to a bad result.
 
Some folks kill elk with a .22 LR, that doesn't make it an elk cartridge. I have a .243 and use it on antelope and varmints. For elk I use a 30.06. Elk don't always provide a perfect broadside shot. You have to be picky about shot placement with a .243. JMO.
 
For the record, not shooting the cast bullets, I spent today loading partitions. I figure since I have a bunch I can use the cast bullets to give him a lot of trigger time. The reason for the 243 is simply he shoots it better than anything else I have. He's spent some time behind a 7x57
that's in the safe and he simply doesn't shoot it as well . The 243 is his and he used it last year on his first two deer. Confidence does a lot, and I'll be side by side with him to help with decision making.

Sorry, then I guess I misread your original post where you asked if "these were tough enough for Elk", and showed a picture of a cast bullet.
Nosler Partition is a much wiser choice for a bullet. Good luck to the young fella, hope he can harvest some venison this season !!
 
For the record, not shooting the cast bullets, I spent today loading partitions. I figure since I have a bunch I can use the cast bullets to give him a lot of trigger time. The reason for the 243 is simply he shoots it better than anything else I have. He's spent some time behind a 7x57
that's in the safe and he simply doesn't shoot it as well . The 243 is his and he used it last year on his first two deer. Confidence does a lot, and I'll be side by side with him to help with decision making.
I think you are well down the right path! Good luck and I hope we get to see pics of the young man with his elk.

I'll just leave this here.. :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY0w1c-gf18
 

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