black powder
CGN Regular
- Location
- Saint Hippolyte
thanks to everyone for the feed back ...i'll stick with the 300wsm for moose ..i have shot 3 moose ,1 bear ,2 deer and 12 caribou ...the .243 will be used on deer and caribou
.243 for moose
- Thread starter black powder
- Start date
The question has so many angles to it, that it virtually defies an answer. Certainly, there can be no "correct," answer.
For the average hunter the answer would be, like so many have said, don't do it. I grew up in bushland northern Saskatchewan where the bush homesteaders shot meat to live on, 12 months of the year. A great many of these people were very skillful hunters. To them, a 243 would have made an excellent, all around moose rifle.
One man I knew had a 351 Winchester Self Loading. He bought a box of twenty shells for it and when the shells were gone he had killed nine moose with it. The 351 has a muzzle velocity of about 1850 with a 180 grain bullet and about 1370 foot pounds of energy. A 243, with a 100 grain bullet has a muzzle energy of about 2100. With a good bullet that will hold together, there will be a lot of penetration.
I once took a fourteen year old son on a goat hunt. Goats are considered very hard to kill, with rifles in the 300 magnum class often recommended for them. My son had his 243 and for some reason, didn't want to use my hand loads. So, he had the IVI brand factory loads, with 100 grain soft points. A good big billy was about 100 yards, broadside. One shot, flop bang. We got the bullet on the opposite hide, a text book example of what a bullet should look like.
The payoff was, i later chronographed the IVI 100 grain ammo and discovered it started out at about 2550 fps! So much for weak calibre rifles.
For the average hunter the answer would be, like so many have said, don't do it. I grew up in bushland northern Saskatchewan where the bush homesteaders shot meat to live on, 12 months of the year. A great many of these people were very skillful hunters. To them, a 243 would have made an excellent, all around moose rifle.
One man I knew had a 351 Winchester Self Loading. He bought a box of twenty shells for it and when the shells were gone he had killed nine moose with it. The 351 has a muzzle velocity of about 1850 with a 180 grain bullet and about 1370 foot pounds of energy. A 243, with a 100 grain bullet has a muzzle energy of about 2100. With a good bullet that will hold together, there will be a lot of penetration.
I once took a fourteen year old son on a goat hunt. Goats are considered very hard to kill, with rifles in the 300 magnum class often recommended for them. My son had his 243 and for some reason, didn't want to use my hand loads. So, he had the IVI brand factory loads, with 100 grain soft points. A good big billy was about 100 yards, broadside. One shot, flop bang. We got the bullet on the opposite hide, a text book example of what a bullet should look like.
The payoff was, i later chronographed the IVI 100 grain ammo and discovered it started out at about 2550 fps! So much for weak calibre rifles.
Those XP3 bullets are great. There is a reason the minimum caliber for big game (in some provinces) is .23, effectively making the .243 the minimum legal cartridge. With high end ammo like the XP3 supreme elite, you will have no problems. But you are an experienced big game hunter and i believe you've made the smart choice in going with the .300 WSM. Happy moosing.
I know its not popular to use, but really if thousands of moose have been harvested with a .270, then I can't see a .243 being that bad. Obviously a .243 won't have the long range energy of a .30 caliber bullet, but from 150 yards away or closer, Im sure it will work just fine, so long as shot placement is good. A moose should'nt be able to tell the difference from being hit by a .243 or a .270 . Sure you could take a 400 yard shot with a moose if you were shooting a .300 win mag, but how often are moose taken from 400 yards away. And since your from Quebec, I know that its not much different than the countryside in Ontario, and the average moose is taken around here from less than 150 away.
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
If you want a challenge, use a Swiss Army knife, that way the moose has a chance of getting away without injury, though you may not be so lucky.
If your objective is unethical hunting with a good chance of losing an animal, then by all means use a 243.
- Location
- Prince Albert, Sk
You guys are all wrong on this one......... Due to the moose' poor eye sight and with proper use of wind direction , tree stand, and calling techniques there is only one logical choice for the challenge of the hunt.
Ball peen hammer. but since we are on the SIZE argument here, I would go nothing less than 24oz and a hickory handle.
IMO of course.
Ball peen hammer. but since we are on the SIZE argument here, I would go nothing less than 24oz and a hickory handle.
IMO of course.
No, No, No. A 24 oz is overkill, and anyone useing more than a 12 oz is compensateing for something. No problem with the hickory handle, that's a nice traditional touch esp if it's a hand rubbed oil finish.
black powder
CGN Regular
- Location
- Saint Hippolyte
i read all of the above postings and some answered with knowledge on the .243 cal ,i got a good laugh on some of the postings [pen hammer] and [hickory handle] anyway it is nice to hear from all of you ..pic. below is of me and last years caribou hunt ..
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300shooter
Regular
- Location
- Windsor, Bantario
I've taken moose with my Hoyt 60 lb. compound bow, the biggest was just over 1100 lbs. dressed, it took a 40 yard death walk after I double lunged it, done deal, that was easy! Now i NEED A CHALLENGE ! i'm thinkin, just an arrow, no bow, barefeet and a leopard print thong, that oughta do it!
black powder
CGN Regular
- Location
- Saint Hippolyte
These threads keep coming up regularly and I can see why some guys give comical responses because the questions get monotonous. Moose don't read ballistics charts and don't care about muzzle energy. I have only shot two bulls, both over 775 lbs. field dressed and they weren't impressed with muzzle energy. One, shot three times through the lungs with a .35 Whelen using 225 grain Nosler partitions,at about 35 yards, never broke stride, trotted about 75 yards and laid down and died. The second was shot under the eye at about 15 yards in an alder swale with a .300 Win. Mag. and 180 grain Speers, just stood there shifting his feet back and forth while I embarrassed myself by missing him completely TWICE!! Then I pulled myself together and cut his backbone off. The bullets failed completely, I think being designed to work at .30/06 velocities not hot .300 mag. handloads at point blank range. This has been my total experience with moose shooting, not great but more than some guys commenting here, I bet. Personally I think if you can shoot a big gun well, USE IT!! I would sooner be over gunned than under. My 2 cents.
Well, some posters may have limited experience hunting moose, but some have extensive experience. In my lifetime up to 2010, I have shot more than 4 dozen of the big cervids.
During that time [starting in early 1960's] I have formed some opinions on the dear old tasty swamp donkey. First, they do not read ballistics charts, as noted above. Second, they seem to be easier to put down than Elk are. They frequently show no signs of being hit, even though mortally wounded. However, if a moose is wounded and gets its Adrenaline up, they can be difficult to anchor sebsequently.
In deference to this thread, I am not going to state which smallest chambering I have shot moose with. The vast majority have fallen to rifles in chamberings from 7mm through 8mm. I have taken a few with 6.5's, including the venerable 6.5x55. 5 have fallen to chamberings under 6.5mm.
I have shot twice at the same moose on 7 occasions. 5 of these second shots were unnecessary. With some embarrassment, I admit to shooting one moose 5 times before finally anchoring it. [First shot too far back]
I do not like low percentage shots, so avoid neck and head shots, except inside 25 yards or so.
My interaction with this wonderful animal leads me to believe it is wise to carry a rifle with a minimum bullet diameter of 6.5mm and minimum weight of around 130/140 grains. Certainly smaller rifles will kill them with carefully placed shots. But why take a chance that you will not place that shot perfectly, and then the problems start.
A moose that dies quickly is always better to eat as well. Regards, Eagleye.
During that time [starting in early 1960's] I have formed some opinions on the dear old tasty swamp donkey. First, they do not read ballistics charts, as noted above. Second, they seem to be easier to put down than Elk are. They frequently show no signs of being hit, even though mortally wounded. However, if a moose is wounded and gets its Adrenaline up, they can be difficult to anchor sebsequently.
In deference to this thread, I am not going to state which smallest chambering I have shot moose with. The vast majority have fallen to rifles in chamberings from 7mm through 8mm. I have taken a few with 6.5's, including the venerable 6.5x55. 5 have fallen to chamberings under 6.5mm.
I have shot twice at the same moose on 7 occasions. 5 of these second shots were unnecessary. With some embarrassment, I admit to shooting one moose 5 times before finally anchoring it. [First shot too far back]
I do not like low percentage shots, so avoid neck and head shots, except inside 25 yards or so.
My interaction with this wonderful animal leads me to believe it is wise to carry a rifle with a minimum bullet diameter of 6.5mm and minimum weight of around 130/140 grains. Certainly smaller rifles will kill them with carefully placed shots. But why take a chance that you will not place that shot perfectly, and then the problems start.
A moose that dies quickly is always better to eat as well. Regards, Eagleye.
little bear
Regular
Is it legal to use this small bullet on big game in your neck of the woods? Not here.
