SPIKER
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THE REAPER'S WRENCH
Made In America
Posts: 4,777
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Post by SPIKER on Jul 8, 2009 16:56:19 GMT -5
Has anybody used a .243 on anything the size of an elk? It's been one of my favorite rounds for 25 years now, and I've taken down a few whitetails with an 85gr head. My dad is a psycho reloader so they come out hotter than heck, but..I was wondering if a heavier load would do the job on an Elk. It seems it might be too light, but it's a sweet shooting gun with next to Zero recoil...Then again, how about the 22-250?  |
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Post by CopperHead on Jul 8, 2009 19:30:46 GMT -5
Spiker, I have read reports that people do and have used a 243 to take elk. But is kinda like rolling the dice. You want to be close, dont wanna hit bone and definitely would want to use a 100 grain solid bullet. The 22-250 I'm sure would take one but with the bullet being so light I'd be afraid. In my opinion both the 243 and 22-250 are borderline ethical for elk.  For deer they are awesome but tad bit on the light side for larger big game. But ethics are a matter of opinion. Kinda like shooting a deer with a 22 hornet, oh it'll take em and do it quick but there is very very small room for error. |
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Post by CopperHead on Jul 8, 2009 19:45:43 GMT -5
Ballistic tips have never caused a problem for me with moose but have never hunted elk. Oldgun can you tell me what the name and brand of bullet you are using. The reason I ask is that the polomyer tip doesnt mean its a balistic tip. The winchester XP3 is a good example of this as it is designed for larger big game. www.winchester.com/products/catalog/cfrlist.aspx?type=69 |
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Post by DocHolladay on Jul 9, 2009 0:20:58 GMT -5
I don't think you need a .300 win mag. There are other calibers out there that will do the job with less recoil. I have never hunted elk or moose, but have seen shows and friends videos where they used .270's to get the job done with these animals. The majority had little to no tracking involved. Heck, Jack O'Connor took just about every game animal in N. America with it and several varieties on other continents. That is what I would use. It is a great round and can do what is needed with the right choice in bullets and proper shot placement. I think that you could do what you need with any rifle chambered from .257 Roberts on up. It just depends on what the range you will be shooting is. If the majority of your hunting is going to be in thick cover, I would look into .35 Rem or .45-70(can get reduced recoil loads). If you are expecting long ranges, I would look into the .257 Roberts, .257 Wby Mag, .270 Win, .308 Win, .30-06 Springfield, etc. I would look into the faster, "flatter" shooting rounds as it helps with distance and misjudgements in yardage. I was gonna say that I wouldn't go out a buy a new rifle just for this hunt, but I wasn't thinking straight. I would buy a new firearm just because I can. No reason needed, other than I don't own it.  Just going from my gut I would expect a 165 grn boattail to be 0" at 25, 1" high at 50 yrds, 2" high at 100 yards, 2.5" high at 200 yards and back to 0" at 250, 2" low at 300. compared to 0 at 100 and 6" low at 250 yards and 9" low at 300. royden, I know that my .270(140gr bullet@ 2800+fps) and other calibers in the same fps range will be dang close to dead on at 100yds if zero'd at 25yds. I can take my .270 and zero it at 25yds and be within 1/2" of the bull at 100yds. The 165gr .308 should be right there also. Ballistic tips have never caused a problem for me with moose but have never hunted elk. Oldgun can you tell me what the name and brand of bullet you are using. The reason I ask is that the polomyer tip doesnt mean its a balistic tip. The winchester XP3 is a good example of this as it is designed for larger big game. www.winchester.com/products/catalog/cfrlist.aspx?type=69That little polymer tip is what makes it a ballistic tip. A ballistic tip is just a hollow point with the hole filled. The tip helps with ballistics and also helps start expansion once the bullet hits the game. It depends on the maker of the bullet as to the composition of the bullet. The composition determines what it does once the animal is hit. Some have thick copper walls and some have thin walls. Some bullets have pure lead cores and others have lead alloy. The bullet walls and what they do to the lead inside those walls determines how the bullet reacts once it hits something. Some are meant to expand violently or "explode" and dump there energy inside the animal for minimal fur damage on smaller game and others are meant to have "controlled expansion" with more penetration for larger game. I have used ballistic tips with great results on deer. |
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oldgun
Board Regular
Posts: 516
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Post by oldgun on Jul 9, 2009 7:41:04 GMT -5
Hornady LeverEvolution 35 Rem. 200 gr. is the ammo. that I'm referring to for moose or deer that have given me no problems Craig. If it's a mistake to call it a ballistic tip sorry for the error. Love this ammo no matter what it is called.
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Post by pastorfarley on Jul 10, 2009 9:32:11 GMT -5
I think there are two issues - the type of rifle, and the caliber. A couple members mentioned the blowdowns and my experience in AZ was lots of elevation changes so a lighter weight gun will help ensure you get to where the game is and have enough strength to hold it steady  Then there is action type - I prefer the single shot. It is shorter, or has more barrel in the same length; lighter, or has a heavier barrel in the same weight. As an archer you should not feel too handicapped by the lack of a magazine But there are lots of great magazine guns out there. As to caliber once you know the model you want then the caliber issues narrow considerably. The 30 cals have the greatest flexibility of ammo, especially the '06 and .308, but the 7mm is the most efficient caliber. Longer bullets tend to give better penetration than shorter bullets and retain energy better over range. If a .308 is good, a 7MM-08 may be better with lower felt recoil. If you do not reload I would be cautious of the latest geewhiz caliber trends, or older heirloom cartridges. They may be just what the doctor ordered but you may not be able to find ammo in 10 years ;D |
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Post by CopperHead on Jul 11, 2009 23:55:30 GMT -5
Hornady LeverEvolution 35 Rem. 200 gr. is the ammo. that I'm referring to for moose or deer that have given me no problems Craig. If it's a mistake to call it a ballistic tip sorry for the error. Love this ammo no matter what it is called. Ohh I like the 35 Remington and Hornady's LeverEvolution ammo is great ammo and it gives the bullet a little more areo dynamics over the old roundnose bullets designed for lever actions. No need to apologize. Besides Doc Holladay agrees with you so majority rules..  |
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royden
Senior Board Member
Posts: 1,349
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Post by royden on Jul 12, 2009 10:23:14 GMT -5
No need to apologize....... majority rules.. ;D ;D ;D |
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azslim
Board Regular
Posts: 452
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Post by azslim on Jul 12, 2009 21:02:27 GMT -5
Spiker, I have a .244rem - same diameter bullet but longer case than .243win - and it has killed deer, elk, moose and bear. I used it for my first deer and elk, my mom used it for hers, nieces and nephews and lastly my youngest daughter for her first 2 elk. Just know your limitations and keep the shots under 300 yds.
sorry for the late reply, been out playing with fire.....
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Post by bowhunter44 on Jul 14, 2009 7:35:02 GMT -5
Doegirl, you are justified in your worry about being underguned. I have witnessed some pretty poor performances with people being undergunned. Although, talking about guns is similar to talking religion or politics - it is easy to start a fight when making statements about specific calibers not being 'enough gun'.
I'm an 'out west' boy and have shot lots of critters over the years. The gun I shoot now is a 7 mm. It is an excellent caliber, great trajectory and will take a wide variety of slugs.
In terms of slug size I use the following as a guide:
Mule deer - 130 grain minimum
Elk - 180 grain minimum
The 7 mm will accomodate the above nicely (as will several others).
I know there have been many critters taken with smaller slugs than that. Again, the undergunned idea comes into play. In my experience there is no such thing as too dead, but there is certainly such a thing as not dead enough!!
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For deer they are awesome but tad bit on the light side for larger big game. But ethics are a matter of opinion. Kinda like shooting a deer with a 22 hornet, oh it'll take em and do it quick but there is very very small room for error.
