I guess these last several posts are really tied in more to Hunter's Ethics than "Which gun"? I guess it's reasonable to consider that being "over-gunned" is merely a form of insurance against being mad at yourself because of a bad hit...
Lord knows, I love my .243. That little 85-grain Sierra BTHP has taken maybe 15-20 deer. Mostly neck or under-the-ear hits. I was surprised that it would exit after a chest hit, but on a few small whitetails...
Overall, though, my favorite hit with the .243 was on a housecat which I spotted from a deer stand. He was tracking a covey of quail. He was crouched, looking away from me and ready to pounce, when he got a rather rugged goosing.
One of my better shots in the field, thank you...
But a .243 on elk? Go back and flame him again!
Later, Art