Morax wrote:

MGK i agree and i am a very big propnant FOR the 243, but its like everything out there, if you as a hunter,owner,user, its up to you to feel compfy with what you are using for the critter you are going after, being undergunned is worse than missing with something bigger than needed!! where i hunt the 243 is more than enough for the whitetails and the g-hogs, but now if i go into the woods deeper i want something with a bit more a$$ behind it..

You are right as every cartridge has its use, its up to we hunter/shooters to properly determine which caliber will be suitable for the game pursued, and that does include the flat paper type varmints too. I used the Point Blank program to get an idea of what my .308 loads were doing, I was amazed to find out the trajectory was approx 3" high at 125yds and at point of aim at 235yds. Of course the farther past the 235 mark you got and bullet drop increased quite a bit (from approx 5.5" low at 300yds to 30" low at 450yds and so on). What this tells me is that this load is a good short/intermediate distance load and is suitable for Michigan where the long distance shot is the rarity.

My point is; the more you know about your weapon and ammo the better the choice you can make regarding whether you have the right gun and gear. As far as my friends .243 situation, I think the bullet just failed to expand properly for some reason leaving a really small hole and not doing much tissue damage (more damage to our ego's than anything ).

I think the .243 is more than adequate for whitetail and the like.

M. G.

alaskanativeson wrote:

SingleShotLover wrote: ...I am just not comfortable with any cartridges for medium to large game under .25 caliber... I have to agree with this one. I see that a few people here have said the .243 is a good for elk. That is, of course, their choice to make. For myself I'd consider I was being unethical going after elk with a .243, they're just not enough of a cartridge for game that size. I'd consider it for mulies but only if I was going for antlerless. Can you kill an elk or a big mule deer with a .243? Yes. However I don't like having to rely on luck as one of my factors any more than I must. I remember an article written by Bob Milek in Guns and Ammo magazine where he talked about the .243. He said when it first came out he thought he had the finest cartridge ever made, the magical thunderbolt from the hand of Zeus. When he had several years more experience losing elk at relatively close range with what he KNEW to be good solid hits he decided that it wasn't enough gun for the big wapiti. I'll agree with him.

Where did anyone say it was a good elk cartridge?

TRBLSHTR wrote:

I have had very good results with 75-105 grain bullets and the 105 gr.bullet is sufficient for ELK.

I think that was the only reference to it in this thread, but I remember the Bob Milek column very well as it made a lasting impression on me. I've had discussions with people who tell me the .243 is a good elk cartridge. I just wanted to voice my opinion about it. I still think it's a great cartidge.

'kay...