Moose with 243...?

canadaman30

canadaman30

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Anyone out there have any first hand action on moose with a 243. How were the results. I'm sure lots will frown at it but would like to here from some 243 shooters out there. I have one and it's light and nice to carry for long periods. It would only see short ranges where it will get used.
 
243

I know a few guys that claim to have downed moose with a 243. Shot placement, as always, would be crucial, as would bullet selection. I personally wouldn't use one for moose, but if you do, make sure to go to a premium bullet, the heaviest your rifle will accurately shoot. Also, give it plenty of time to bleed out. Personally, I like a big chunk of lead, the bigger the better.

I personally know of several old-timers who killed moose with .22's, so no reason the 243 can't do it.
 
No first hand experience but personally I can't see how any mammal on the planet can live long with a fist sized hole in it's heart.

Practice shot location with said rifle and load up some TSX. :)
 
243 win

Moose with a 243??????
That would be a BIG NO. Sometimes we forget, the hunter should be taking the animal as humanely as possible. Small calibers like this are not intended for larger game.
Bill
 
I own/shoot .243 Win [and a whole host of other ctgs].

Personally, I would not use .243 Win on moose.

I have hunted moose, with a .300 Win Mag, and that would be my "go to".

2007-10-27_091302_1aCoffee.gif

NAA.
 
I know of three moose that were shot with a .243 and all were soon dead. I don't do it, however. There is no doubt that with proper bullet placement, a .243 will kill anything on this continent.

You can drive a nail with a tack hammer if you want. That doesn't mean it will be the tool of choice for a good carpenter.
 
These kinds of questions boil down to so many variables. Just as much depends on the hunter, as on the calibre used. I knew a homesteader who fed his family moose meat for twenty years and his rifle was a 250/3000 Savage. I happen to know that the ammunition he, at least often, used, was the 87 grain variety. I doubt if he ever wounded a moose that he didn't get. To him and his ilk, a 243 with a good 100 grain bullet would be more than ample for moose.
For the many "hunters," who spend one week a year in the bush hunting, primarily from their truck, or quad, then no, a 243 would not be a suitable rifle for them.
 
rral22 said:
I know of three moose that were shot with a .243 and all were soon dead. I don't do it, however. There is no doubt that with proper bullet placement, a .243 will kill anything on this continent.

You can drive a nail with a tack hammer if you want. That doesn't mean it will be the tool of choice for a good carpenter.
Click to expand...

:)I've gotta' remember that one:cool:.
 
I always wonder-why would anybody choose a marginal cartridge for such a large game animal as a moose with so many better choices available-are they out to prove something?If so,its already been done before so why not get an old 303 or 6.5x55 swede, and give yourself-and the moose- some margin for error?Of course a head shot with a small caliber bullet will drop the moose in its tracks-but what if the animal moves and you blow its jaw off?Then what? I think this question comes down to respecting the animal and doing your part to ensure a humane kill as much as does marksmanship.Besides we have enough anti hunters just waiting for an opportunity to castigate us for ''sport'' hunting without giving them more excuses[and yes,I would kill a moose with a 243,if thats what I happened to have in the truck and I happened to see a moose that I knew I could make a clean shot on-but I certainly wouldn't set out to go moose hunting with the same 243]
 
Here we go again ... this is undoubtedly going to get ugly. My family has harvested countless moose with a .243. 100 grain or 105 grain bullets everytime. The moose have always gone done and we have never lost one. It is not my personal recommendation, use something bigger.
 
I would go bigger. It can be done because my dad shot moose with a 30-30. He was a different breed of hunter then what we do today. Never saw him lose one either.
 
my ex girlfriend took one a few years ago with a .243 browning abolt. factory ammo, forget the brand.

moose was an adult cow and the shot was about 100 yards or so, she shot it in the vitals and it went maybe 50 or 60 yards and dropped.
 
If you live in moose country and can spend alot of time waiting for a perfect shot then have at it. I don't and when I do get precious time to hunt moose I want a caliber that can get the job done under less than "ideal" circumstances.

As an example when I lived in Alberta I had to take vacation time and with fuel and equiptment costs it wasn't cheap. I just did not want to have a moose step out onto a cutline and offer a quartering shot and not be able to take it. I have used a .338 and .375 h&h for all my moose hunting.

If you can afford a bigger caliber and handle the recoil give them a hard look you won't be dissapointed.
 
I personally believe that the 243/6mm Cartridges are a bit light for animals the size of moose. Therefore, I would never take a 6mm Remington or a 243 specifically to hunt moose. That being said, I have shot two moose while packing a 6mm, but both were opportunistic situations. Both were easy broadside shots, neither were particularly large moose,[two-point bulls] and the load was a 100 grain Partition at around 3150 FPS. Neither moose moved after the shot, except to drop to the ground, dead. FWIW, both partitions were complete passthroughs, with exits the size of a quarter, but lungs like mush, so the 243/6mm pair will kill moose. I still feel there are so many better choices available that one should not use marginal chamberings for the job. Regards, Eagleye.
 
I could shoot a Moose with a .243 if I wanted too. But I might have to let a few pass because I'm not comfortable with the shot. Some year's Moose hunting can be tuff with very few sighting's. So why risk it. I hunt calves with a 6.5x55, For big bull's, I like my 7mm Rem Mag. I find a .30-06 is a good all around caliber for Moose if you can only own one rifle.
 
we seem to forget that most moose are NOT giant animals .sure there are big bulls .but if i only had a cow tag or was just going for a calve thn a 243 or a 270 would be a great gun for the job .DUTCH
 
No doubt about it. A 243 will take a moose. Lots of other smaller less potent cartridges did it over the years too. In this day and age with alllll the bigger,better choices out there, I gotta believe that If I had a choice out of my cabinet, Id be going with something with a bit more ooomph!.....BUT, if that was the one and only weapon in my cabinet, I'd be lookin to try to borrow a 303 or a 6.5 or something else. IMHO anyways.
 
Shooting moose with the .243 - it can be done. My late father many years ago shot two moose with a .243 - one at 10 yards, the other at 100 yards. Both one shot kills to the boiler room.

If the shooter is a very good marksman, killing a moose with the .243 is possible. My preference continues to be anything 6.5 mm and up - in a good, well constructed bullet properly placed, that the shooter has confidence in.
 
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