Author Topic: 243 for elk?  (Read 1598 times)

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Offline Daman

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Re: 243 for elk?
« Reply #30 on: August 12, 2010, 08:42:53 PM »
I know our 150lb deer aren't your elk, but my 13 year old little sister shoots my A Bolt 243 with death in her eyes. I would turn her the gun over for ANY North American game other than Brown/Grizzly/Polar Bear. I load the TTX or GMX Barnes for her and generally do very little if any tracking. I have full size life like paper targets for her to shoot and that gives her understanding of vitals.

The only game I can compare is a 300lb boar hog that she shot last winter with me. I had just killed one with the same gun and he just stood there looking at the one I shot in the ear. Well I handed her the gun and she shot him high behind the shoulder and took off, ran about 80 yards and stopped so she gave him another and he crashed like hit with a Mack truck. The first shot went high over the lungs and under the spine so it didn't do much, but the last shot was quartering away low and right behind the shoulder and busted his heart just as well as my 30-06 would have.

Point is let her shoot something she can handle. I never told lil sis she shouldn't be shooting a huge boar with that little bullet and she did just fine with full confidence. What kills kids and women heck even men, is folks plant in their mind they have to have a bigger, faster, harder hitting bullet for everything. Simply not the case when you get to 6mm and larger. Limit shots to 150 yards, shoot soft spot behind the shoulder and go get her elk, take pics and have good memories.

Daman
Live simple. Hunt Hard. Love Life.

I thank God everyday for my loving wife and all the fond memories of hunting with my Papa from a child until now.

Please take time to take a kid hunting, it will be a life long memory and blessing for both of you!

Offline NFG

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Re: 243 for elk?
« Reply #31 on: August 13, 2010, 06:09:02 AM »
150 lbs huh...that's a medium size rabbit where I come from... ;D :D ::)  Hahahahahah, just pulling your leg.  They ALL taste good.  Hey, I go for tender not size...75 lb of processed tasty in my freezer is vastly better than 200 lbs of nasty, narly, hormone pumped, smelly "king of the forest", bragging rack.

Again...it's not about age or gender...that's chauvinistic...it's about the shooter and what they've been taught and how they act.

I have a neighbor about 2 miles down the road...He is buying shooters all the time...pistols, rifles, shotguns...first thing he does is come down and show off his new "toy".  He's good as gold, but dangerous as a brush bull with ANY shooter...or just about ANY mechanical device for that matter and DON'T get around him when he's waving his chain saw around.  He's already shot another neighbor in the hand accidently...he's a very poor shot, jerks the trigger, shuts his eyes and all the rest.

I've been trying to teach him to shoot for 12 years...it all goes in one ear and out the other.  Everyone in the area knows him as he is also the local town crier, running from one place to another spreading the news.  Every year he shows up for some hunt.  He always hits an animal at least somewhere, but someone else has to nail it...while he is reloading usually.

No one wants to run him off completely because he has the knack of showing up when you need an extra hand and jumps right in.

Problem is, every one knows and someone always runs their mouth with comments like "stand back, here he comes", "good god look what he's carrying", "need some help pointing that thing" and much worse etc.  He's the nervous type, jumpy and skittish, and the comments DON'T help.

He has a CCW and always has something in his pocket, but doesn't have sense enough to leave it in his vehicle when he gets an invite to a BBQ or gathering.  One wife got wind of his packing at a birthday BBQ, came out with a shotgun and run him off....He was not so politely told not to come back by the wife and most of the rest of the men let him know to not drive up to their houses unless he left his toys at the gate.

Again...it ain't the caliber of the gun, it's the caliber of the shooter and I'm not talking about how tall they are or if they squat to tinkle.

Luck

Offline southernutah

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Re: 243 for elk?
« Reply #32 on: August 13, 2010, 12:37:06 PM »
I'm guessing dad will be hunting with daughter while husband chases his elk. They keep asking me if i'm going and will have to see if I can still get a over the counter spike tag. If so her backup will  have a 300 win mag or a 444 lever.

Offline parson48

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Re: 243 for elk?
« Reply #33 on: August 14, 2010, 05:20:26 AM »
I love my Savage .243. But I would go with something bigger for elk. Being "old school", I'd likely choose the 30-06.