You hit the nail on the head when you said that you considered it a varmint and whitetail cartridge. Can you kill a bear with it? Yep. Can you kill an elk with it? Yep. Is it the best choice for a bear or an elk? Nope.
This argument is getting so old. Can I kill a bear with a 22.250. Hell ya! What do you think about a .243 for elk? It's the best ever.
Think of it this way....Would you want a .243, as the weapon in your hand, with a world class bull at 450 yards? Probably not.
Would you want a .243, with a pissed off black bear, charging your arse. Probably not.
Will a .243 work for an elk hunt for a kid, woman or even a grown man? Yes it will if everything goes right and the hunter is very patient and takes the right shot. But your shots would be limited to much shorter than realistic distances. Same goes for a bear hunt.
Just because it works, does not mean it's a wise or the best choice. We all know that everything goes as planned and there are never any surprizes when we are out hunting.
Last edited by Colorado Luckydog; 04-16-2011 at 07:22 PM.