6mm /.243 hunting success on Big Game

[Brap01]

My sons second elk. Younger cow elk at 150 yards, 6 ARC, 108 ELDM, 2610 mv. Impact ribs, through the lungs, into off side shoulder, bullet trapped against the hide on the offside shoulder. Photo shows bullet on off side shoulder and the big hole it put through the lungs. Cow kicked/walked/fell 25 yards downhill and died before we could hike to it.

 

[wabash503]

My oldest son got his first buck tonight... That's 3 for 3 with the 6 ARC! None made it further than 50 yards from impact.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

Fantastic, nice one too.

 

[sierracharlie338]

Well done on a solid buck!

 

[omicron1792]

My oldest son got his first buck tonight... That's 3 for 3 with the 6 ARC! None made it further than 50 yards from impact.

Awesome. Good stuff!

 

[lukebrowning]

Mule deer with 6CM and 108 ELD-M. Impact velocity somewhere around 2,500 fps. Deer dropped and slid downhill dead.

 

[cornstalker]

Tikka T3X .243 Winchester. 108 ELDM at 331 yards. Stumbled a couple of steps and went down for the count.

View attachment 975445

Exit side.

View attachment 975446

Entrance.

View attachment 975447


I did the gutless thing and didn't survey the internal damage.

Update. The picture of the exit side was with the shoulder off. I found the base of the bullet in the offside shoulder when butchering today. Meat loss was minimal. I came across a few lead fragments.

 

[ktm450]

Question for Rokslide: this was my first season exclusively using a 6mm (.243/103) felt that animals ran further, but were dead on their feet making tracking more necessary than when I used a 308.

This is completely anecdotal and a very small data set. Do you have any input on this theory?

 

[Bigwilly556]

Question for Rokslide: this was my first season exclusively using a 6mm (.243/103) felt that animals ran further, but were dead on their feet making tracking more necessary than when I used a 308.

This is completely anecdotal and a very small data set. Do you have any input on this theory?

Although I've only killed 2 deer with a 90 eldx out of a 6 ARC I've noticed the same thing. I've since switched to bergers and eldm with three deer to study. I've concluded if I'm using a traditional cup and core bullet like the eldx it will be in a more substantial calibers. With the Eldm and bergers I tend to be more patient and pick my shot with no shoulder impacts allowed. The energy dump and massive damage of the eldm/bergers just kills quicker with less possible risk of a long tracking scenario. In the end it's still proper shot placement with the bullet in use.

 

[Brap01]

Question for Rokslide: this was my first season exclusively using a 6mm (.243/103) felt that animals ran further, but were dead on their feet making tracking more necessary than when I used a 308.

This is completely anecdotal and a very small data set. Do you have any input on this theory?

Me and my sons shot 5 deer and 2 elk using 6mm 108 ELDM since last fall.

Cow elk my son shot this weekend with the 6mm moved 1/4 of the distance compared to the cow elk my son shot last year with a 165 SST from a 308. Both double lung shots. The cow shot with the 308 was a bigger cow.

In general, deer shot with 6mm didn't run as far as the deer shot with 308 over the last couple of years. Small sample size of 2 deer with 308 compared to the 5 deer with 6mm. All double lungs. My buck at 420 yards might have traveled close to the same distance as a doe my son shot with the 308 at 120 yards. That was in part due to poor shot placement on my buck, it was quartering away and I didn't hold enough for wind. First round hit one lung and into the guts. Might have nicked the off side lung on that first round? I shot it again and the lungs were jelly when i opened it up. Hard to say.

Both the deer I shot around 400 yards ran less distance than the deer I shot at 70 yards last year with a jacketed .50 caliber power belt from my muzzleloader.

I doubt there is a meaningful difference but my sample size is too small to mean much alone.

 

[CJ_BG]

Although I've only killed 2 deer with a 90 eldx out of a 6 ARC I've noticed the same thing. I've since switched to bergers and eldm with three deer to study. I've concluded if I'm using a traditional cup and core bullet like the eldx it will be in a more substantial calibers. With the Eldm and bergers I tend to be more patient and pick my shot with no shoulder impacts allowed. The energy dump and massive damage of the eldm/bergers just kills quicker with less possible risk of a long tracking scenario. In the end it's still proper shot placement with the bullet in use.

What do you think the difference between an eld-x and eld-m is?

 

[Brap01]

What is the best bullet in a factory loaded .243 for western hunting on deer to elk sized game? 90 gr Nosler ballistic tip?

My nephew is looking at a .243 but he doesn't handload. Thanks in advance!

 

[Bigwilly556]

What do you think the difference between an eld-x and eld-m is?

Jacket thickness mostly. Eldx should mushroom, somewhat stay together, and have much better weight retention. Eldm or the like violently expands shedding much of it's weight as it dumps massive energy several inches into the game. The shock and sheer trauma from the eldm is too much to take.... with proper shot placement.

It's a matter of do you want a possible pass through with deeper penetration and a relatively small permanent would cavity. Or do you want to dump all the energy at once with a massive permanent wound cavity?

 

[sierracharlie338]

What is the best bullet in a factory loaded .243 for western hunting on deer to elk sized game? 90 gr Nosler ballistic tip?

My nephew is looking at a .243 but he doesn't handload. Thanks in advance!

90 eldx or 95 BT. I’d shoot both and see what shoots best

 

[Gettincloser]

If you have a 243, the Nosler Balistic Tip (NBT) is a good to! Fortunately, my Tikka T3x shoots those sub moa! (It actually shoots many loads sub moa bit this is my go-to for the 243.)

I have a 6mm creedmoor barrel on order. I am switching for the simple reason that I want (not need) to be able to hunt at longeaerodynamics!

Since I do not reload myself, that limits me to the 90gr and 95gr bullets in a 243 for factory stuff. I can kick it up to 103gr and 108gr factory ammo in a 6mm creedmoor that is far superior in ballistic arodynamics!

As far as how far they run, the more damage to the vitals, the quicker the (usually) go down.

Some animals just don't have an instant off switch. I was playing with my 375 H&H one year and shot 2 bucks in the same afternoon withing q0 minutes of eachother. The 1st one was broad side behind the shoulder with a barnes TSX. Between the ribs in, through the lungs, nicked and rib going out. 105 yard shot and dropped like a rock. 2nd buck was quartered to. Hit the onside shoulder, shrapnel of bone and bullet through the heart and lung breaking ribs on both sides. He was at 95 yards and ran towards me after the shot at a slight angle. He passed me by 15 yards when he went down. Does it make sense? Not at all. I have shot 2 deer with a 375H&H and now use a 223 or 22 ARC. In my vast experience of the 375H&H, I will tell you, some animals just want to get the last word in!

Of the 11 deer between last year and this year that our family has taken with a 223, only 2 have run and both under 40 yards. Still a small sample size. But a 223 is smaller than a 243 that is smaller than a 308 that is smaller than a 375! How quick an animal goes down is 99% shot placement and 1% the animal its self!

 

[Bluumoon]

Dang you.

Any noticeable difference on the game animals? Shorter time to drop? Wound channels?

Not the numbers of other guys. This year I personally witnessed or shot.

1 Mule deer 22CM 77TMK - devastating at 150 ish yards, cantaloupe size wound channel, bullet base found off side hide.

2 Caribou 22CM 80 ELDM 500-550 yards, each received a couple rounds, neither travelled more than 10 yards, baseball size wound channels

1 cow elk 22CM 80 ELDM - not my best shooting 500 yards , heart shot immediately dropped her. Base ball through chest cavity

1 cow elk 300ish yards 6CM 108eldm. I didn’t spend much time w this one, hard to find entrance wound, liquified chest cavity except heart (I’m thinking pulmonary veins/arteries and onside lung) , maybe 30 yards travelled.

1 small bull elk 6CM 109 ELDM 225 yards 4 impacts (fast), it made a mess, I have no concerns.

1 caribou, 1 cow elk, 1 bull elk sitting shooting off vertical standing pack (not ideal) , to me no appreciable difference in maintaining sight picture between 6CM and 22CM.

I agree w @MX, no concerns w either. That being said if it was one or the other I’d absolutely go 6CM. More factory ammo choices, seems less picky on bullet choice, almost interchangeable ballistics, and double the barrel life.

 

[Gribley]

Cow elk. 243 win. 108 Eldm. 274 yards. Impact velocity around 2475 fps. She appeared broadside when I pulled the trigger. I hit further back than I intended but it worked out because she was quartering away when it hit her. The bullet entered the stomach. You could see green poop grass coming out of the bullet hole in the stomach. Parts of the bullet made into one lung. Definitely not lung soup like a lot of the other pictures in this thread. She traveled six yards and then dropped 5-10 seconds after the shot. She did have a little blood coming out her mouth so clearly some lung trauma. Still, I’m a little perplexed as to why she dropped so fast with such a poor shot. Thoughts? Also, those grayish/maroon spots on the lungs I’m assuming is just hemorrhage right? Not indicative of a disease process? Thanks.

 

[KyleR1985]

Cow elk. 243 win. 108 Eldm. 274 yards. Impact velocity around 2475 fps. She appeared broadside when I pulled the trigger. I hit further back than I intended but it worked out because she was quartering away when it hit her. The Bullet entered the stomach. You could see green poop grass coming out of the bullet hole in the stomach. Parts of the bullet made into one lung. Definitely not lung soup like a lot of the other pictures in this thread. She traveled six yards and then dropped 5-10 seconds after the shot. She did have a little blood coming out her mouth so clearly some lung trauma. Still, I’m a little perplexed as to why she dropped so fast with such a poor shot. Thoughts? Also, those grayish/maroon spots on the lungs I’m assuming is just hemorrhage right? Not indicative of a disease process? Thanks.View attachment 981248View attachment 981249

If the spot circled in blue is the impact, you likely severed dorsal aorta. Rides under spine. That’ll drop blood pressure quick fast and in a hurry…

 

[Gribley]

Makes more sense. Thanks. Sounds like I got lucky.

 

[The Guide]

Also, those grayish/maroon spots on the lungs I’m assuming is just hemorrhage right? Not indicative of a disease process?

Those are spots of pooling blood that generally come from inhaled blood that was in the airway. Your shot damaged the respiratory system in some manner. The photo as I look at it is not indicating any obvious disease.

Jay