243 for elk

[Spitfire1]

Nah ! Just yanking your chain :lol: But it works quite well on our smaller game species .

 

[hawgslayer1]

I hunted WY a few times and I used a 6mm with a 100 grain bullet for muleys and prarie goats and brought home 4 deer and 4 goats. 1 buck was a nice 10 pt'er.
I know that the muleys aren't as big as elk but they are bigger then the whitetail. The little 6mm brought them down without a second shot necessary. If I remember correctly it was a Remington model 660. Traded it in when I bought my Remington 30-06.

Ray.........

 

[Slitrik]

6.5's used to be the caliber of choice for ivory hunters when they went after elephants. Of course, they aimed for the head.

 

[Spitfire1]

Slitrik the 6.5 Mauser fired a loong 140gr bullet and was used to deliver the coup de grace on downed animals . But for that matter so was the 7x57 and .303 Brit . It is not reccommended to try and hunt an Elephant with either of those calibers.
Bell was the only hunter that used small calibers successfully on elephant because he knew where to place his shots for maximum effect and where all the soft spots on the skull was.

 

[Slitrik]

My bad, I must have read some false writing somewhere.

 

[Spitfire1]

Slitrik Bell used the .303Brit with the old 215gr cupro-nikkel bullets and he used the 7x57 with 174gr bullets as well . The rest of the ivory hunters used bigger .416 to .600 Express rifles.

 

[ceader savage]

How about a 7x57 Mauser

 

[Spitfire1]

7X57 is a good cartridge and although Bell used them on Elephant it is not advisable, we have a minimum energy rule this side of the pond when hunting ill tempered critters which starts with the .375 H&H Magnum.

 

[lanenebraska]

I wouldn't hesitate one bit using the .243 with a 100g bullet or the 85g Barnes TSX on Elk or Bear. My lowly single shot Mossberg SSI .243 with a 22inch barrel is Scary-Stupid Accurate and drops deer like a lightning bolt

I think the real killing power is speed and sectional density of the bullet. That Barnes TSX is just as long as most 100grainers, and always punches thru--never recovered a bullet since I started using them.

Barnes TSX 85grain @ 3350fps = Smoked anything in its path

My oldest daughter calls them "The Magic Bullets" 8)