.243 Savage Elk

[ivorytip]

I know this has been discussed here before but i cant find it. I know some guys on here will say do not use a .243 for elk but that is whats happening. ill let son shoot and get familiar with the ole .270 but if we end up needing to use the .243 for Bull elk which ammo should i use.
85 Grain Barnes TSX or
100 Grain Nosler Partition

 

[kidoggy]

I have no doubt there will be lots of dissenting opinions but here is mine for whatever it may be worth.


if he can put it where it counts ,it shouldn't matter

 

[shootbrownelk]

Either one will work fine IMO. I shoot both, I'd go with whichever one shoots best in your rifle. Either bullet will kill an elk with good shot placement.

 

[AKaviator]

My son has taken moose with the 100gr partition and caribou with the 85gr TSX. I'd go with the 100gr partition personally.

 

[Ikeepitcold]

I have no doubt there will be lots of dissenting opinions but here is mine for whatever it may be worth.


if he can put it where it counts ,it shouldn't matter

Yep I agree.

 

[ivorytip]

thanks guys, i know that its not the ideal caliber but if he hits the boiler room then lights out. I'm thinking 250 will be the furthest id let him take a shot at an elk with it, with ideal conditions.

 

[JimP]

In my opinion I would shoot either one that shot the best out of the rife, and if they both shot equally good I would lean towards the Barnes bullet. But then I am a big fan of the Barnes bullets and have seen what they will do even if you hit heavy bone.

 

[ivorytip]

In my opinion I would shoot either one that shot the best out of the rife, and if they both shot equally good I would lean towards the Barnes bullet. But then I am a big fan of the Barnes bullets and have seen what they will do even if you hit heavy bone.

they both shoot great out of the gun, that's a bonus. i have heard some awesome things about Barnes.. i believe you brought them up a couple years ago in fact. the 85 grain thing scares me but ive had enough people tell me that they work great.

 

[JimP]

The nice thing on the Barnes bullet is that it will hold together and punch through a animal. Of all the animals that I have shot with one I have never recovered a bullet from ranges from 70 yards out to 479 yards on North American and African animals. My couse deer this last December fell to a 100 grain ttsx bullet from my 25-06 at 3200fps at 420 yards with a complete pass through and a 1 1/2" hole on the off side.

I have heard of them shedding the pedals as they expand but I have never seen any evidence of that but it could be possible if they hit heavy bone that gave them some resistance going through.

 

[RICMIC]

This is what happens when a 185 gr. Barnes TSX hits a bull elk shoulder at 480 yards from a .338. The bullet completely shattered both shoulders and was recovered under the far hide.

 

[nv-hunter]

This is what happens when a 185 gr. Barnes TSX hits a bull elk shoulder at 480 yards from a .338. The bullet completely shattered both shoulders and was recovered under the far hide.View attachment 21815View attachment 21816

Well this just answered my questions on the .300 win mag factory ammo thread thanks. We will be shooting these on the cow hunt too

 

[shootbrownelk]

Every Barnes bullet I've been able to recover have been picture perfect mushrooms. Either from my '06 or my .375 H&H. Haven't recovered any 6mm yet.

 

[Hilltop]

My best friends mom has taken a few elk with a .243. She has also lost a couple due to less than great shots. Nothing wrong with the caliber you just have a little less room for error and have to be disciplined enough to take good angle shots. I opted to go up in caliber for my wife's elk rifle. She has a 7mm-08- It did the job very well on her one and only elk.

 

[badgerbob]

My best friends mom has taken a few elk with a .243. She has also lost a couple due to less than great shots. Nothing wrong with the caliber you just have a little less room for error and have to be disciplined enough to take good angle shots. I opted to go up in caliber for my wife's elk rifle. She has a 7mm-08- It did the job very well on her one and only elk.

I' with you, Hilltop. 7mm-08 is what I would opt for in a lighter recoil elk rifle. My brother and his son shot .243 for years. Between the two, they lost more deer than anyone else I know. I just don't think it has enough for elk. I have a 25-06 which might be another option. Not too bad on recoil and I wouldn't hesitate a second to use it on elk if I had to.

 

[BuzzH]

I don't know...I think the people losing animals with a .243/6mm would lose them with about anything as they're making garbage shots.

My first big-game rifle was a 6MM and I've shot it and a .243 quite a bit at big-game. Reviewing my field notes, I've shot 27 pronghorn, 24 deer, 3 elk, 1 bighorn, and 1 black bear with .243/6MM. Not a ton of big-game, but enough to form the opinion that the .243/6MM is a capable round.

I shot about half with 100 grain nosler partitions, and the other half with 100 grain old style nosler solid base bullets (lead tip) and recovered very few bullets.

In fairness, I did lose one whitetail buck. It was 100% my fault as I shot it trotting and hit low in the brisket and busted the off-side leg. I tracked the buck through the snow until it eventually dropped below the snow-line and never did find it. I was about 17-18 years old and made a bad choice on shot selection and shouldn't have shot at all. Definitely wasn't the caliber/rifle...it was all on me and it wouldn't have mattered what I shot it with. A poor shot is a poor shot.

IME, the three most important things in killing big-game are, shot placement, shot placement and shot placement.

 

[mallardsx2]

I found a .243 bullet on the shoulder plate of a cow elk we butchered in 2002. Dont know how long it had been there but it had been there a while.

Truthfully, I dont know if it was a .243 but it was a small caliber for sure.

I had a friend shoot a buck 2 years ago with a .243 behind my house and it ran 150 yards and never bled a drop. and I mean RIGHT through the lungs. Can remember what bullets I gave him to use. Handfull of loose shells I had lying around if I recall.

 

[ivorytip]

I appreciate all of the input! I'm also considering trading the .243 out for a 7mm08

 

[badgerbob]

I don't know...I think the people losing animals with a .243/6mm would lose them with about anything as they're making garbage shots.

I understand, garbage shots are risky with any cal. Some of the deer I'm talking about were actually taken by other members in our party. Not all were garbage shots. Granted with a premium bullet they would have experienced better performance. Some however I know would not have walked another step if hit in the same spot with an old reliable 30-30. Even with premium bullets I would opt for the 7mm-08. Buy the premium bullets for it....

 

[BuzzH]

Even with premium bullets I would opt for the 7mm-08. Buy the premium bullets for it....

I agree, but there's no doubt the 243 is more than capable of killing elk...a friend I hunt with has taken somewhere around 50 elk with a .243 and 100 grain nosler partitions.

I really like the 7-08 as well, been using one for the last several years...and I've taken 13 elk with it on ranges from 48 to 621 yards. My nephew shot his first elk with one as well, using a 120 grain ballistic tip. My wife also shot her only 2 elk, both 6 point bulls, with her 7-08.

I'd pack either a .243 or 7-08 for the rest of my life and not even think twice about it...for any big-game.

 

[badgerbob]

.
I'd pack either a .243 or 7-08 for the rest of my life and not even think twice about it...for any big-game.

Yes, I agree. I like to hunt, so if I only had a .243 I would use it. I've seen elk absorb some pretty hard hits in well placed shots with 30 cal. so I tend to go larger for elk and am not a fan of the smaller cal. premium bullet theory. If a premium bullet makes a small cal. better then it would also make a larger cal. better. So if we continue to compare apples to apples the larger cal. is always going to win. Having said all of that, a friend of my fathers hunts deer exclusively with a 22-250. He only takes head shots and he can bust sage rats at a range well past 200 yards, with that rifle. I've never known of him loosing a deer.