Moose with 243...?

I guess if that's all you have it would do. I spoke to an Old timer in NB who took many Moose with his .243....usually fairly close up lung shots. If you have a bigger caliber in your safe it should be used for moose.
 
I used a 6mm On a VERY large Bear if that matters. As long as you are at a decent range and good shot placement. But bigger never hurt....
 
bearkilr said:
Yet another thread for the recoil sensitive hunters of the 21st Century and their braked gopher guns.

Man up and use a real gun, at least for the animal's sake.
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There are many mild cartridges that can, with proper handloads, cleanly take moose without being hard on the shoulder.

7.5 lb rifle

.243 Win 100gr bullet @ 3100 gives 10 ft-lbs of recoil

6.5x55 125gr bullet @ 2500 gives 8.4 ft-lbs of recoil
140gr bullet @ 2350 gives 9.1 ft-lbs of recoil
140gr bullet @ 2500 gives 10.8 ft-lbs of recoil

7mm-08 160gr bullet @ 2400 gives 11.6 ft-lbs of recoil

.308 Win 165gr bullet @ 2400 gives 12.7 ft-lbs of recoil

for comparison:

.30-06 with 180gr bullet @ 2750 gives 22.5 ft-lbs of recoil

I suggest that a properly loaded 6.5x55 will give less recoil than a max load .243 Win., and have better terminal performance on a moose too.
 
Moose are not hard to kill at normal ranges they are encountered during the peak time of the season -rut. Wait intil he turns broadside, drill 'em through the lungs, NO EXCEPTIONS.
And after the usual 30 seconds or so while they die, start the real work.
 
When the .243 first came out, it was touted as being the only rifle anyone would ever need, for any sized game. A lot of guides read the reviews and bought them, using them to back up clients who weren't, perhaps, the best shots. The .243 worked admirably on the ungulates, but it was a different story on the carnivores. A wounded bear, full of adrenalin and a bad attitude, was a distinct overmatch for the little cartridge, and the .243 experiment was shortlived. There is no substitute for a large frontal area on your bullet, when you are trying to put down something with evil intent in its heart towards you.
Having said that, I know of one elderly gentleman who swears by the .243. He has probably taken more game with it than I will ever take with all my other calibers combined. It probably helps that he is a wildlife biologist who knows animal physiology backwards, and is also a great shot from any position.
If you shoot a minimum of 2000 rounds practice at the range, using heavy-for-calibre bullets, from all positions, including some awkward, off angle, uncomfortable ones, and you can put all your shots into 4-6" at any range up to about 150 yards, and know how to hit the vitals of the game you are hunting from any angle, then by all means use your .243 for moose or any other ungulate. If you can't do all of the above, get and use a .30 caliber or bigger, and practce with it until you can.
 
canadaman30 said:
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.
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Sell the 243 and buy a 270Win or 30/06 and leave all doubt behind.


.
 
I owned a 243 and used Nosler partitions, don't moose hunt with one please.

I wont deer hunt with one after using it on big muleys out west. I know others have good experiences and I don't judge but the little bullets are not moose medicine.
 
consider this scenario-you've just dropped your moose with your 243,congratulated yourself on your fine marksmanship, taken pictures of yourself holding your little 243 as proof thats all the gun you need to kill a moose ,gutted it and along comes a grizzly....now, do you wish you'd brought a bigger rifle?
 
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SuperCub said:
Sell the 243 and buy a 270Win or 30/06 and leave all doubt behind.


.
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I have a 30-06, and I have no doubt under a 100 yds my 243 will work well. Just wanted to read some posts from people who have used them instead of all the skeptics who would tell me a 300 mag is needed for moose:rolleyes:. Personally I would take my 243 over a short barrel 30-30, tons and tons of moose have been and still are shot with 30-30's.
 
If that is your only choice, go for it, but if you have other bigger caliber options, I would be considering those.
Who am I to pass on advice, I hunt Moose with my 30-30Win which a lot of folks consider to be underpowered for moose.
 
I used to use a 6m/m Remington on everything and it's the ballistic twin of the 243.
Don't use it on Moose. The bullets just don't stay together and don't have enough weight to penetrate deeply.
If you insist just use a premium bullet (no, Ballistic Tips are not premium) like a Partition and shoot someplace soft. I know from experience that a shoulder blade will stop a Sierra spitzer. A subsequent shot was nearly stopped by a rib.
Just get a bigger gun.
 
Moose threads...second only to Bear defense threads for hysteria. :D

For the record my M44 Mosin would be my Moose gun...Cheap, tough, reliable.

Pretty much swamp proof with a hard hitting cartridge and even comes with a Bear defense bayonet/tent peg attached. :D
 
ratherbefishin said:
consider this scenario-you've just dropped your moose with your 243,congratulated yourself on your fine marksmanship, taken pictures of yourself holding your little 243 as proof thats all the gun you need to kill a moose ,gutted it and along comes a grizzly....now, do you wish you'd brought a bigger rifle?
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Even worse, what if a Sasquatch comes along after you've dropped the bear in his tracks with a .300 magnum? Better buy that .50 cal . . . . :rolleyes:
 
I'd say it depends on how much self control and respect for the game a person has. If you can abstain from taking any shot except a perfect close range broadside lung shot, then sure. Even then I would be concerned about a rib stopping the little slug from driving deep. I know i'd have a hard time with the self control if the bull of a lifetime was standing there after a week or two of hard hunting.
 
sahara said:
I used to use a 6m/m Remington on everything and it's the ballistic twin of the 243.
Don't use it on Moose. The bullets just don't stay together and don't have enough weight to penetrate deeply.
If you insist just use a premium bullet (no, Ballistic Tips are not premium) like a Partition and shoot someplace soft. I know from experience that a shoulder blade will stop a Sierra spitzer. A subsequent shot was nearly stopped by a rib.
Just get a bigger gun.
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There's some good, realistic first hand experience.

The .243 can do it, but is at the cartridge's far extreme edge of it's capabilities. When things go just right, dead moose. When things go just a little off [like hitting a big rib bone] then you could wind up with a wounded animal.

The .243 was designed as a cartridge for people who want to hit both varmints and deer, and only use one gun to do it. It was never intended as a moose cartridge.

I agree with one of the previous posts, saying that the .243 seems small for even the big mulies. :stirthepot2:

Why go with something so small? I just don't see the point. To me it seems disrespectful to the animal, and therefore to the sport.
 
never seen a sasquatch,but I sure as heck have seen some big grizzly tracks in the sand ,and when you put YOUR boot into THEIR tracks and there's room all around, ANY rifle looks pretty puny but I want to be packing something a bit bigger than a 243
 
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