A gentleman I worked with for a few years (he's retired now) used a .243 Win to take 16 elk over the years. Several of which were very nice bulls. He used Sierra Game King 85 grain BTHP.

If I were to use a .243 I would load either 85 grain Barnes TSX, 100 grain Nosler partitions, 90 grain Nosler E-tip, or 80 grain Hornady GMX.

I'm definetly a fan of the 243win and dont have a problem with it being used on elk . I would be more inclined to question the ability of the shooter than the size of the gun . I prefer a bow myself for elk which has less power than a 243 Win .

I'm actually suprised that guys are saying that a .243 is capable of taken an elk,I thought it was too little of a caliber.
There's another thread in this forum also where guys have used the .243 on elk.
While I don't antisapate going elk hunting in the near future I think I'd want a larger caliber if I did.
While I don't agre that a magnum is best choice I think I'd opt for something like a .270 or 30-06.
Anyway thanks for the enlightment gentleman.
Jerry

I hand load, am a pretty good shooter, and wouldnt use a .243. Sometimes things just cant be made right.

SkiKing + 1
Nosler partitions will get the job done up to 150 yards, standing broadside shot BEHIND the shoulder in the lungs.

That said, if I were taking my wife or daughter elk hunting, I would not use a 243. They could certainly handle a 130 gr 270. And you could always put a muzzle brake on it. I have a 7 rem mag with a KDF recoil arrester on it that I swear with a blindfold on you could not tell from a 243. Wear hearing protection though!