You guys have never used a .243 on elk but have an opinon on it. I have neither but I have an opinion too. .243's leave big holes in deer and hogs I know that for a fact and I rarley recover bullets, always pass throughs. We dont have elk in Texas but I have seen some on a game ranch up close and personal, theyre not as big or tough as some of you claim.I'll bet money I could punch my .243 right clean through one every time, I bet the hogs I shoot are far tougher too penetrate than a thin skinned elk. I would do it in a heartbeat without even thinking about it and have no problems taking one cleanlywith a .243
A broadside shot through the boiler room and it's lights out. I saw some little girl on TV shoot some exotic cow looking thing (2000 lbs) with a .243 and she dropped it in its tracks with one shot to the boiler room. Deer or elk aint that tough a critter, want to talk tough, a 200-300 lb boar has skin a full inch thick, and a body 24" or better wide, that will slow or stop a bullet quick, the .243 doesnt have problems with them. I bet hogs are the most unrecovered animal that is hunted, I bet all hog hunters have lost one, no matter what caliber he uses, those are tough tough critters. I cleaned a big boar I shot one time and was gonna drag the skin and gut off into the ditch, well I grabbed a pick that was near by and swung into the skin to drag it off and it just bounced off the skin , I tried it over and over and swung with all I had and I could not get the pick to penetrate the skin, that is some tough skin I tell ya.
My advice to you is go do it and decide for yourself, make clean ethical shots and you wont have one problem.