243 winchester with 85 TSX for elk?

[BrokenBackJack]

There is quite a difference in hunting elk that have been running or on high alert than shooting one that is just relaxed and grazing. When that adrenalin gets flowing it is hard to bring one down. Those mountain elk are tough critters for sure. Personally i think a 300 mag is an excellent caliber to use on elk. Nothing smaller in my opinion and yes i have seen some brought down with much smaller calibers. Also have seen many hit and lost using smaller calibers. It of course helps greatly on which bullet you use and being able to hit your spot.
One of my bull moose that i got was on the edge of the swamp water and i waited and called to get his attention to turn and look at me so i could put one between the eyes. We didn't want to hit him in the heart and lungs as he would have made it into the water. Dropped like a sack of potatoes! Of course i was using "Chester" my first Winchester 300 magnum model 70 the i bought for my 16th birthday. That was many many years ago when i bought that rifle. That gun has brought down many deer, elk, and moose. Very accurate rifle too.
I just cringe when i hear people say their gun is sighted in and they can hit a pie plate. I was never satisfied until mine were able to be covered by a quarter. Practice is the name of the game. If i didn't hit my target where i wanted to with that rifle or my 22-250 it was user error and not the guns fault. Of course now i probably couldn't hit a bull in the ass with a scoop shovel. Used to laugh at the old timers that this happened too and never understood it until i got old. Now i am one of them! Quit hunting about 5 or 8 years ago at least. Now i would rather take pictures rather than shooting.
Good luck hunting!

 

[Wildyote]

Excuse me, I meant interbonds.

I have seen superior performance with interlocks on with medium to high velocity calibers. The bullets recovered from elk, deer, and moose had perfect mushrooms. My theory is on in-consistent bullet performance is sometimes lot to lot variability. I have seen v-maxes, ballistic tips, blitzkings, and ect in 17 hornets, 17 Ackley hornets, 17 fireballs, 20 var targs, 223s, 223 ackleys 22-250s, 22-250 ackleys, 220 swifts, 22 cheetahs, 6mm rems, 6 Ackley rems, 6 brs, 6 dashers, and ect. have different performance from lot to lot. I noticed when changing lots of bullets the difference in damage inflicted to animal on prairie dogs, gophers, jackrabbits, cottontails, fox, and coyotes. I shoot thousands upon thousands of rounds every year. I think I have a some credibility!

 

[svnmag]

.270 minimum. I personally feel .243 is light for deer. A lot of wounded deer running around during deer season because they were shot with a smaller caliber. Yeah "if you hit them right you can kill them with a .22", yada yada yada. Well a inexperience hunter should be using a larger caliber because they do not have the "EXPERIENCE" in harvesting an animal. A few inches off is the difference between a recovered animal and coyote bait.

I shoot a 300 win mag. You put a muzzle break on a .300 and the recoil will be like a 243. Buddy has a 7RUM with a break on it and it kicks like a 22-250. Trade off is noise, make sure to shoot with ear plugs. My 300mag had a muzzle break on it and I went out elk hunting and damaged my ears really bad (over 50% damage to my left ear, permanent tinnitus). Got home and took it off. I'll take the recoil over being deaf. Now I always shoot with ear plugs while out hunting.

Just my $.02[/QUOTE

I've posted this before to feel scoffed and ignored. The off-side ear should be plugged when hunting. The ear against the gun is protected by the Doppler Effect. On a stand this still allows hearing of leaf crunch. With a small amount of adaptation it allows for normal hearing for birds or on a drive. Sometimes my left ear drives me insane.

On another note: If you're a drummer or at a concert you'll find you can hear what you're doing and have better discernation of tone with "foamies" inserted.

Favorite RUSH song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dn8VH30eWs

 

[svnmag]

So what's the deal?

 

[Skeeter85]

Get her a 7mm-08. Take her out shooting. If that's to much of a recoil than get ahold of you local gun smith and get a muzzle break on it. Use ear plugs as needed. Could be a good investment. It's a caliber she could use for the rest of her life. Plenty of nock down power.

 

[Kentucky Windage]

What's the entire trip setting you back? I'd argue that you are planning on spending all this money to give your daughter the opportunity to hunt, and you are going to rest all that on a question cartridge for the hunt? Look at the big picture and decide wether you would be better off selecting a different cartridge or not.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Hunt is basically costing gas to drive out there and food, couple hundred maybe. Staying with friends so lodging is covered.

 

[deleted_account]

sure you could kill an elk with a 243, and i could get a good look at a t bone by sticking my head up a bulls ass, but id rather take the butchers word for it

 

[You]

Only caliber I have between 6mm and 308 is 7mm rem mag, which I suppose I could load down, but not sure if Ill have time to work a new load between now and then...

your 7mm is the answer. buy a lb of varget ($30), buy 50 120gr nosler ballistic tips ($20) (the 120s are thicker walled than the 140s too), a bag of 50 Winchester brass ($35), and a 100 pack of magnum primers ($5). my dies are set and my rcbs chargemaster is ready to roll. I wouldn't 'work up' nothing, we'd set the chargemaster for 53 grains and roll with it. we'd be done in under an hour. 3000 fps 'reduced recoil' rounds. 50 of em, for $90. 20-30 to sight in and practice with, and 20-30 to hunt with.