Originally Posted by homers brother

Hmmm...not quite. Given my memory isn't quite what it once was, I can only remember one deer and one pronghorn that I've taken with a .243 that DIDN'T fall over dead in their tracks, and neither of those other two went more than 50 yards afterward.

To the contrary, I've had more deer take off after being hit with the .30-06, only two bang-flops that I can recall, one a whitetail and the other a pronghorn.

That I generally shoot the .243 more accurately doesn't hurt the whole equation. However, I think it's more a matter of terminal ballistics. For some reason, and on deer-sized game, a 100gr 6mm bullet at .243 velocities seems to be more "efficient" in killing game than a heavier .308 bullet at slightly slower .30-06 velocities. Though I'm not interested in owning one, I'd wonder how the .243 WSSM compares to the slower .243 Win using the same bullet?

I've piled two elk up in their tracks with a .243 as well, but I'm not sure I'd advocate as strongly its use on elk/moose-sized game over the .30-06 or something else heavier.

No two shots are alike, no two animals will react to being shot exactly the same way - it'd be awfully hard for you to establish a control group from which to compare.