Perhaps I didn't state it clearly in my first post,but I have witnessed a couple of elk taken with the 243win.I did not pull the trigger,but Iwas present tosee the animalsreactions to the shots and the results when we dressed the animals.In both cases the elk ran off,in one case falling after a hundred yards or so,in the other,a long tracking job and a second shot were required.The first shot was a perfect lungshot,and the second hit a shoulder and barely penetrated doing little damage to the vitals.