Topgun 3006

Just putting a bullet of any old caliber in the vitals doesn't mean that the animal will die quickly and hopefully all ethical hunters want to kill any animal as quickly and humanely as possible. That is where ft./lbs. of energy come into play. A bullet basically kills an animal by hydrostatic shock to the system as well as by secondary blood loss, whereas an arrow kills by loss of blood unless a poor shot hits the spine. The .243 and smaller calibers were designed for smaller game like deer, antelope, coyotes, etc. because they do not produce enough energy to quickly kill a bigger animal like an elk most of the time. That, in turn, can allow an animal like that to cover a lot of ground and be lost because of a poor or no blood trail to follow. Also, if you must shoot a large animal with that caliber for lack of any other gun available it should be with a heavy for caliber bonded bullet and you should wait for a broadside or slightly quartering away shot so that the bullet does not have to travel thorugh any more flesh/bone than necessary to reach the vital heart/lung area. A larger bullet like that from a .270 or 30-06 through the chest cavity will result in very little lost meat because there is not much there to begin with. It is best not to try and use the smallest caliber that may do the job, but to use as big a caliber as you can shoot properly to up your chance for a quick kill. With the stock designs and recoil pads available today, as well as the reduced recoil loads for the bigger calibers, there is really no reason to use a .243 on elk size game IMHO! I've been hunting since 1953, mentor youth hunters as much as possible, and with the equipment available today there is no need to use a small caliber for a large, tough animal like an elk.