.243 for moose

[Peetster]

Im trying to hunt up Formidulosis. Listened to his podcast with the Exo mtn boys about small calibers and big game, and I was excited about it because it meant not having to buy another gun for moose hunting. (Im new to Alaska)

I bought some 90gr Hornady eldx. And they seems so pitifully small, It just goes against all the things I’ve been taught. Should I find something else for moose? Or will it be ok?

 

[jonpall]

Lots of examples here to make you feel better. You can see if there's anything about that specific bullet. Can also look at the 223 thread.

6mm /.243 hunting success on Big Game

With the success of .223 and 6.5 threads on big game, thought I’d throw this one into the mix. Show and detail your results harvesting big game (deer, bear, elk, moose, African game) using 6mm/.243 cartridges. Please detail bullet, MV, impact velocity, and whether hand load or factory ammo.

rokslide.com

.223 for bear, mountain goat, deer, elk, and moose.

DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ 176 PAGES? HERE'S THE CHEAT SHEET. “Bullets matter more than headstamps.” “Spent primers offer the supreme tutorial”. I’ve read it here and elsewhere online. It got my attention. I started digging and asking questions and listened. The 77gr TMK delivered by a .223...

rokslide.com

 

[akcabin]

I would never consider using a 243 to kill a 1,400 lb+ moose. A good used 30-06 is fairly inexpensive.

 

[sveltri]

I would never consider using a 243 to kill a 1,400 lb+ moose. A good used 30-06 is fairly inexpensive.

Would you use a muzzleloader?

 

[go_deep]

You're good, have a great hunt!

 

[Spoonbill]

Im trying to hunt up Formidulosis. Listened to his podcast with the Exo mtn boys about small calibers and big game, and I was excited about it because it meant not having to buy another gun for moose hunting. (Im new to Alaska)

I bought some 90gr Hornady eldx. And they seems so pitifully small, It just goes against all the things I’ve been taught. Should I find something else for moose? Or will it be ok?

@PNWGATOR posted pictures in the 223 thread of a moose shot with a 77tmk. You should be good with a 243.

 

[VernAK]

Most hunters that have taken a YK/AK moose with a lighter caliber have a sample of one. To be consistently deadly with the lighter caliber on large bull moose, the moose must present itself in a favorable manner.......broadside etc. If the bull makes a sudden turn away and you have to make a quartering shot raking through the ribs up into the lung/heart area, I'd prefer a larger caliber with a stout bullet.

I have taken a moose with a 243....a large cow in a field broadside......95 TTSX.

 

[NVUplandHunter]

people poke a small hole in those beasts with an arrow and dont get a full pass through but the animal dies still.
After listening to the same podcast, i realized i had been vastly over thinking things. We are shooting high speed bullets into animals with the most modern tech in bullets designed to do nothing but kill. We gotta remember that back in the day, the people used a hand thrown spear or a very low powered trad bow with stone points and brought them down.

Modern marketing has told us to buy bigger because bigger is always more expensive. in reality, creating a lethal wound that an animal has to bleed from isnt as big of a task as one would think. Moose just are big and have a bit more blood to leak out before they tip.

 

[McCrapper]

 

[Big_wals]

View attachment 750721

 

[Mattman215]

I would get an old school 45-70….would be cool to get one with an old lever gun imo. I personally would want something bigger atleast a 308 l/30-06 300wm etc, but I guess it depends on the distance angle etc.

 

[Big_wals]

You’ll be fine. Just shoot em in the front half.

 

[StupidLightweight]

I'm no expert, but I have killed 5 moose myself and seen a few more dumped. They're one of the easier big game animals to kill. If you can hit a beach ball with your .243, you're good to go. Here's a challenge: See how many rounds you can get into it before it drops.

 

[akcabin]

I believe that a hunter should do their best to ensure that the animals that they hunt should be harvested in as efficient, effective way as possible. Brown bears have been killed using small calibers too. Doesn't make it the most effective caliber.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Lots of examples here to make you feel better. You can see if there's anything about that specific bullet. Can also look at the 223 thread.

6mm /.243 hunting success on Big Game

With the success of .223 and 6.5 threads on big game, thought I’d throw this one into the mix. Show and detail your results harvesting big game (deer, bear, elk, moose, African game) using 6mm/.243 cartridges. Please detail bullet, MV, impact velocity, and whether hand load or factory ammo.

rokslide.com

.223 for bear, mountain goat, deer, elk, and moose.

DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ 176 PAGES? HERE'S THE CHEAT SHEET. “Bullets matter more than headstamps.” “Spent primers offer the supreme tutorial”. I’ve read it here and elsewhere online. It got my attention. I started digging and asking questions and listened. The 77gr TMK delivered by a .223...

rokslide.com

I know a moose can be killed with a .223-6mm with “‘ shot placement “
But a moose hunt is super expensive and a perfect shot rare, I used a .300wm with 200gr trophy bonded as moose hang around very nasty bogs and lakes ,
And having one die in a bog really makes for a crappy , cold , wet day
So the .223 for moose & elk guys

 

[ACHILLES]

Same debate as always with a different thread title when it comes to hunting big game with small calibers. There’s hundreds of examples of it being done effectively with pics and necropsies. Then a handful of guys say it’s not ideal but provide no data or evidence. I see both sides but I would guess the guys saying it’s not ideal have never tried it.

Does anyone have any examples, pics, or necropsies where an elk or moose was hit in the vitals with a 243 then it was tracked down hundreds of yards, miles, or days later still alive then had to be finished off. Then opened it up and got actual confirmation it was hit in the vitals?

On a once in a lifetime hunt I could see stepping up to a larger cartridge if you already have the rifle.

 

[z987k]

I know a moose can be killed with a .223-6mm with “‘ shot placement “
But a moose hunt is super expensive and a perfect shot rare, I used a .300wm with 200gr trophy bonded as moose hang around very nasty bogs and lakes ,
And having one die in a bog really makes for a crappy , cold , wet day
So the .223 for moose & elk guys

Moose don't just drop when hit with a 338 either. They can soak a few up before blood pressure drops.
The only way to drop them on the spot is with a CNS hit. Which, you're more likely to be able to do with a 243 if that's your goal.

Moose are not expensive hunts. Hunting license and gasoline.

 

[Big_wals]

I know a moose can be killed with a .223-6mm with “‘ shot placement “
But a moose hunt is super expensive and a perfect shot rare, I used a .300wm with 200gr trophy bonded as moose hang around very nasty bogs and lakes ,
And having one die in a bog really makes for a crappy , cold , wet day.

TIL that when a hunt is expensive, it makes the animal harder to kill. Cheap critters die easier. Also, why the quotations around “ shot placement”? Do you not worry about “shot placement” with a .300?

 

[z987k]

TIL that when a hunt is expensive, it makes the animal harder to kill. Cheap critters die easier. Also, why the quotations around “ shot placement”? Do you not worry about “shot placement” with a .300?

I love the big magnums for insurance argument. Like a larger diameter bullet, is somehow more lethal with poor shot placement. It's not.
I mean, I guess it gives you a quarter inch or so of leeway.

 

[JGRaider]

Moose are not expensive hunts. Hunting license and gasoline.

They're expensive for NR's, given the fact you have to hire a guide to hunt moose up there.