.243 for moose

which is better ,

someone who practices very regularly with a 243 and can hit a quarter at 300 yards with it .

or someone who fires one or 2 shots a year with his 300 super mag , flinches from the recoil and can't tell 300 yards from 30 feet .

a bigger rifle will never make a person a better hunter , or better shot .
 
burnt_servo said:
which is better ,

someone who practices very regularly with a 243 and can hit a quarter at 300 yards with it .

or someone who fires one or 2 shots a year with his 300 super mag , flinches from the recoil and can't tell 300 yards from 30 feet .

a bigger rifle will never make a person a better hunter , or better shot .
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I don't think that's the issue here. The OP doesn't say that he shoots one caliber better than the other. In fact, he hints that he's been using the 300 successfully up to now, but is thinking of using something new for whatever reason.
If you shoot both equally well, it makes more sense to use the bigger caliber. Bigger bullets cause more damage and thus kill more effectively.
I agree with you though completely if there was a case where someone just can't handle the recoil.
 
You seem to be an experienced hunter. I'm sure the 243 is legal to hunt with in your province or you would not be considering it. That seems to indicate you provincial wildlife office considers the 243 to be adequate at least under some conditions.

I say if you know what these conditions are, go for it.
 
proonur said:
Please don't give anti-hunter groups any more ammo to hurt us with, and shoot the moose with your 300 wsm.

That is all, thank you from all your fellow hunters.
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This is going a bit far in my opinion. If he is not breaking the law with a 243, how would this be giving the anti-hunters ammunition? Just because you don't agree with someone else's LEGAL activity, it is not a reason to play the anti/ammo card.
 
you are right JOE it is legal to hunt moose in quebec with a .243 cal .. like i said i have been hunting for the last 45 years and have shot most of the big game in canada except polar bears ...i realy wanted some feed back from HUNTERS that have SHOT moose with the .243 . which bullet was used and what was the distance ..i hunted a long time with my 30-06 and sold that to get the 300 wsm which has served me well ..so i know what the 308-30-06 and all the other calibers will do ..but i wanted some feed back on the 243 from HUNTERS that have used it .
 
Believe it or not, it is legal to hunt moose in New Brunswick with any .22 centerfire. However in all the moose hunts I have participated in I have never seen anyone carrying one.
 
black powder said:
I realy wanted some feed back from HUNTERS that have SHOT moose with the .243 . Which bullet was used and what was the distance ...
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I see now.

The ony rifle my father had for quite some time was a .243 after we lost everything to a house fire when I was about 11yrs old. During this time pops shot seven moose with most at varying ranges from 50 - 150yds with 100gr Rem Core Lokts. I was with him for three of these moose that were taken, and recall them all like it was yesterday, but the one that really stands out turned out to be the first animal I ever seen killed.

We were at the edge of a pond on a very frosty morning where dad was calling and had a nice bull come out on the opposite side (225+ yards). My father leaned off an old turned up stump and waited for the bull to give up a good shot. When it turned broad side my father shot a single shot, after which the moose trotted into the brush. While we sat and waited I remember asking my father why he didn't shoot more. He told me he hit the bull good, then went on ask me if I had seen that the bull let out a big puff of steam(breath) when the bullet hit ( I was too excited to recall). After we went arount the pond where the bull had stood my father pionted out the blood on the frosty beaver hay. Following the blood to just inside the bush line some 75yds or so is where we found the bull piled up from a lung shot.

Thats my only experiences with .243, and moose. It may not have been the best choice, but at that time thats all my dad had, and he made due until he got a 30-06 some time later.
 
That's the smart thing to do with moose is hit them good once and stay put /leave them be.If they aren't chased they don't go far or know what hurt them .Simply lay down and die ...................Harold.PS... I won't even mention my .250 Savage/100gr
 
joe-nwt said:
This is going a bit far in my opinion. If he is not breaking the law with a 243, how would this be giving the anti-hunters ammunition? Just because you don't agree with someone else's LEGAL activity, it is not a reason to play the anti/ammo card.
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In a way you're right, because the anti hunters will be angry with us regardless of how humane, ethical and law-abiding we act. On the other hand, I would still argue that in the hands of the average hunter the 300 wsm raises the odds of a quick, humane kill on a moose than the 243 does. I don't particularly disagree with using the 243 for moose, but assuming that there are trolls looking at this that would certainly give them something MORE to whine about us all (Those jerks are trying to undergun themselves so that the animal has a bigger chance of getting away injured instead of dead).
I suppose in thinking on it more I should take it back, because I'm not in the habit of worrying too much about what antis think.
 
No prob. The anti's are against hunting period. Our goal should be to differentiate between legal and illegal activities and give our support to those that are legal. That's not to say we can't offer our opinion, it's just that we should leave the final decision on the legal activities up to the individual.

BTW, I wouldn't use a 243 if I had a 300 either. But if black powder wants to, I hope he enjoys a successful hunt. And doesn't have to pack the meat very far.......;)
 
captonion said:
EXELLENT shot placement should be the rule no matter what caliber/cartridge is used. The only difference in using lighter artillery is you gotta know how to pass up ANY questionable shot.
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I beleive that this guy has it right, My dad once told me this.
that the top 10 things in shooting were:

1 shot placement
2 shot placement
3 shot placement
4 shot placement
5 shot placement
6 shot placement
7 shot placement
8 shot placement
9 shot placement
10 Caliber/Everything Else.

We owe it to the Animal to take it clean and effectively, but we need to ensure that WE as hunters are really accurately analyzing our skills and choosing our gear accordingly.

I wouldnt use anything sub .30 myself,
#1 because i shoot the model 99 of my dads so well.
#2 If I make a small error the caliber may forgive me, whereas that small caliber may not.

Just my .02$
 
You might want to sharpen up your spear, a 243 would be a good back up for that. I would not hesitate to shoot a moose with a 243 if I had to, but there is a good chance of "your" moose living to go much farther than you can find him. He might fall dead as a stone, but he might not. Take your 300 wsm, hunt with confidence.
 
Spektral said:
that the top 10 things in shooting were:

1 shot placement
2 shot placement
3 shot placement
4 shot placement
5 shot placement
6 shot placement
7 shot placement
8 shot placement
9 shot placement
10 Caliber/Everything Else.
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Good quote but I may modify it just a bit, IMO:

1 shot placement
2 shot placement
3 BULLET PERFORMANCE
4 shot placement
5 shot placement
6 shot placement
7 shot placement
8 shot placement
9 shot placement
10 Caliber/Everything Else
 
My late uncle used to use a .243 for moose, but he was incurably recoil shy, was missing most of one hand and shot left handed. Even then he had more tracking stories than anyone I ever knew.
 
Jordan Smith said:
I wonder how many here have actually done it. How much experience are all these opinions based on?
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I don't think you have to have shot a moose with a .243 if you have shot (or even been present at the shooting of) several moose. I think if you see what happens with many other rounds, you will have enough evidence to know that bigger is, in general, better on moose.

I have never shot or seen a moose shot with a .243. I have seen close to three dozen deer shot with a .243. I have shot and seen shot 11 moose. I am convinced that a .243 with proper bullets would work in some circumstances. I would not deliberately choose a .243 to hunt moose if anything with heavier bullets was available.

Does the fact that I have not shot a moose with a .243 make that opinion less valuable? Does the fact that someone may have done it once make his opinion more valuable?
 
No offense, but I'll take experience over conjecture every time. My perception of what the .243 was capable of changed drastically when I started using one. Especially when I started using TSX bullets.
 
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