hypothetical senario
 

Lets assume you have an opportunity to hunt elk.But the only rifle you own is in .243 cal. Lets also assume you're a handloader and you're a better than average shot.What loads would you work up. What would be your maxium distance,would it be the distance your cabable of shooting @ or would you cut it down because of the light caliber?

im sure its possible, but i think ya oughta go bigger.

Not sure I would try to hunt elk with something so light. I use a 30-06 and that is considered on the lighter side of accepted calibers. I am sure with a properly placed shot an elk could be taken but the chances of a wound without kill are high and unacceptable to me.

I think I'd want a barnes TSX...
I'd only take a full broad side shot....

I think a better option would be to buy or borrow a larger calibered rifle...
.30-06 is a good starting point...

Go with the heaviest TSX for caliber you can find, keep shots inside 150 yds, practice like hxll and take only good broadside shots.
Not all elk are created equal. A 250 lb. cow/calf is a totally different beast than a 700-800 lb. bull.

If it were a once in a lifetime hunt that you will traveling across the country to pursue, for a bull I'd go with a bigger gun.

For me its a $50 bill and two hour drive so I have alot less invested in an elk hunt than you will.

Long before the internet me and friends hunted elk, quite successfully with our 30-30s and 32 WSs so it can be done.

Gentelman,I have no intentions of hunting elk with a .243. I raised the question because a while back I read a thread on this forum where a couple of people said that their wives had taken elk with that caliber.
It wouldn't be my caliber of choice either. Was just curious on what some of you other folks thought about it also.

Best bullet for my 30-06. The performance on those things is really something.

How do you guys think that Barnes TSX would be on whitetails?

Devastating. The 165 grain would probably be more fitting. I have taken quite a few the last couple of years and they were all 1 shot kills with little to no run off.

I would use a 100 gr Nosler Partition driven around 3100 fps and then keep the shots under 150 yds. Just make sure you don't hit the shoulder and you would be fine. But if you have the option, or it is a once in a lifetime hunt, use a bigger gun. I used a 30-30 for my elk in 2008, but after seeing how the bullets performed, decided to upgrade to 300 Win Mag.

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!