The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post

Ankeny · February 14, 1999, 08:38 PM

The recurring theme is that of lost game. I have been fortunate enough to have harvested over 100 big game animals with everything from handgun to large bore rifle to archery. I have only lost one animal, and that was the first year I hunted with a bow. I have had to shoot animals more than once, but I always managed to recover them. Perhaps luck and open terrain have contributed to my success.

I have seen four animals crippled and lost due to over confident hunters trying for a head or neck shot. Two of those animals were deer that ran off with broken jaws dangling in the wind. One was a nice 6x6 bull elk that disappeared into black timber with blood running down his neck. The last was an elk that was shot and dropped like the proverbial sack of cement. He got up and ran off as we approached. The shooter said he was aiming for the head. We all know that most game is lost due to lousy shot placement, period.

We also see some elk lost to cartridges of inadequate bore diameter and/or bullets of poor construction. It is legal to hunt an elk with a .243 loaded with varmint ammunition, and some folks do just that. Kind of dumb isn’t it. We also have people who shoot hollow point or hollow cavity handgun ammunition manufactured for self-defense at elk. When a hot 180-grain hollow point out of a .44 magnum strikes a large bull on a big bone like the front shoulder, the results can be very disappointing. Previous advice about cast bullets is worth heeding.

I guess I rambled. To answer your question, there are thousands of animals taken annually with the .243 Winchester. With proper weight bullets, correctly placed, it performs just fine on deer sized animals.

February 14, 1999, 08:38 PM	#21
Ankeny Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 1998 Location: Shoshoni, WY USA Posts: 556	The recurring theme is that of lost game. I have been fortunate enough to have harvested over 100 big game animals with everything from handgun to large bore rifle to archery. I have only lost one animal, and that was the first year I hunted with a bow. I have had to shoot animals more than once, but I always managed to recover them. Perhaps luck and open terrain have contributed to my success. I have seen four animals crippled and lost due to over confident hunters trying for a head or neck shot. Two of those animals were deer that ran off with broken jaws dangling in the wind. One was a nice 6x6 bull elk that disappeared into black timber with blood running down his neck. The last was an elk that was shot and dropped like the proverbial sack of cement. He got up and ran off as we approached. The shooter said he was aiming for the head. We all know that most game is lost due to lousy shot placement, period. We also see some elk lost to cartridges of inadequate bore diameter and/or bullets of poor construction. It is legal to hunt an elk with a .243 loaded with varmint ammunition, and some folks do just that. Kind of dumb isn’t it. We also have people who shoot hollow point or hollow cavity handgun ammunition manufactured for self-defense at elk. When a hot 180-grain hollow point out of a .44 magnum strikes a large bull on a big bone like the front shoulder, the results can be very disappointing. Previous advice about cast bullets is worth heeding. I guess I rambled. To answer your question, there are thousands of animals taken annually with the .243 Winchester. With proper weight bullets, correctly placed, it performs just fine on deer sized animals.