6mm /.243 hunting success on Big Game

[Ajsomp]

One gun?!?!? Blasphemy.

I know. I’ll never get there but something about having one bolt action rifle for all my needs is appealing just from a travel/range day/training etc.

Just over here hoping @Unknown Munitions @Procision Arms are listening as the raven action is pushed forward along with the stand alone bolts.

 

[Ajsomp]

Am I the only one that gets nothing of real value of the necropsy photos? Just looks like any bunch of goo to me. I’d rather see the hunter, the rifle, the countryside and a brief story. The cup and core wound channels all look about the same.

These threads evolved to the point where we no longer have to prove the validity of the various calibers from .22 - 6.5 and every version of cartridge included. Which in the beginning was to show results to dispel preconceived notions on performance.

While there are still people who haven’t got onboard with the effectiveness of smaller calibers and will continue to demand proof, and some folks who will want to share their journey as they experience these results for the first time, I’d agree that I’m mostly interested in the story behind it, and subsequently the info that comes with from a terminal performance standpoint.

I wonder if there is a way to scrape all these posts to compile how many animals killed with subcategories for cartridge, bullet type, distance, animal type, impact velocity, etc.

 

[Jevyod]

Perusing this thread just because I need some encouragement/confidence. I have shot many deer, 90% with a 260 Rem. I have 2 boys that will want to hunt in a few years, so I purchased a 6 ARC and put a Raptor 8 suppressor on it. I worked up a load using the 108 ELD-M and velocity is 2720 fps. I plan on taking it for the first time this year, and I feel almost under-gunned! Most of my hunts are woods, but some fields thrown in where a 400 yard shot is possible. I had the gun out at the range last week, and went 3 for 3 on a 10 inch steel plate at 500 yards. So I know it shoots well, just gotta get past the "its a little gun" thought my mind keeps bringing up!! This thread helps.

 

[houser52]

172# 8pt whitetail taken with a Tikka 1:8, 20”, 243 win. this morning at 236 yards. Sierra 95 gr. TMK, . Took him to the processor and no pics of damage. No bullet exit.

 

[coya]

Glad to add more than just coyotes this time.
108 eldm handloads, impact velocity 2820 at 110 yards. Stalked in and popped a squat to shoot seated supported. She ran 20 yards down to a closed road and crashed. No exit but didn't need one.
Couldn't ask for more.
Wondering where the bullet ended up, wasn't trapped under the offside hide and I didn't care enough to root through the mess it made.

 

[Anschutz]

Am I the only one that gets nothing of real value of the necropsy photos? Just looks like any bunch of goo to me. I’d rather see the hunter, the rifle, the countryside and a brief story. The cup and core wound channels all look about the same.

I did for the first few of the larger animals on the .223 thread, I don't get anything from it anymore. A hole through the lungs is a hole through the lungs. I'd prefer if it were stories and for goodness sake, add a Species counter to the first post of each.

Perusing this thread just because I need some encouragement/confidence. I have shot many deer, 90% with a 260 Rem. I have 2 boys that will want to hunt in a few years, so I purchased a 6 ARC and put a Raptor 8 suppressor on it. I worked up a load using the 108 ELD-M and velocity is 2720 fps. I plan on taking it for the first time this year, and I feel almost under-gunned! Most of my hunts are woods, but some fields thrown in where a 400 yard shot is possible. I had the gun out at the range last week, and went 3 for 3 on a 10 inch steel plate at 500 yards. So I know it shoots well, just gotta get past the "its a little gun" thought my mind keeps bringing up!! This thread helps.

Put that little bullet through the lungs and that animal will die quickly. Of the 7 or 8 deer I've shot with the .243 and 100gr Winchester Power Points (not a premium bullet), none went past 40ish yards. Blood trails can be what some would call weak (I've never had a problem following them) to I had one that pieces of lung came out of the exit hole and it looked like Sherwin Williams had a spill. Four were DRT.

 

[General RE LEE]

6 ARC 108 ELDM Howa Mini

205 yards

Watched him drop never lost sight picture.

 

[walkingduckwaterfowl]

First animal with the tikka 8 twist .243, whitetail buck. Impact velocity about 2850. Winchester ballistic silvertip 95gr factory ammunition. Deer jumped straight up in the air like a cat on impact and barely made it 30 yards, dead in seconds. All activity during and after the shot was observed through the scope at 6x.

About a week earlier I took a whitetail buck with a 7mm PRC 175 grain ELD-X at about 2550 impact velocity. I had the magnification in the upper ranges probably 16-20x. That buck made it over 100 yards before he crashed. The observable wound was nearly identical to the .243, but I lost the buck in the scope after the shot partially due to recoil and partially due to overmagnification.

Overall both rifles and bullets worked and killed the deer. I think the 175 eld-x would likely perform better in a more substantial medium like an elk or a shoulder impact to help the bullet upset more quickly. It felt to me like the 175 eld-x did not initiate meaningful expansion until it encountered the offside ribs. Shot placement was nearly identical in both the .243 and 7PRC shots.

As far as the shot goes, I have never experienced such a clear view of what happened at the shot as I did with the suppressed .243 with less magnification. It was totally different and no wondering what happened after the shot.

Pics are of the .243/95NBT wound. golfball sized exit, lungs and heart wasted.

 

[money]

6cm did some work this week in southern Alberta. It’s a killer caliber and people in camp told me I was dumb. Proved them wrong quickly with two shots.

First buck was a giant bodied rutted up whitetail at 330 yards with 108 eldm. 2980 at the muzzle. Shot hit him perfectly in the lungs and the buck flinched at the hit and stood there dead on his feet. Didn’t run at all and fell over 5 seconds later where he stood. No autopsy because it was -4 and we had other deer to kill but the bullet didn’t exit. Just smashed his lungs and killed him fast.

Second buck was a large bodied muley later that day that I was only killing for meat. Buck was 300 yards rutting a doe. Shot him walking and it looked like he was hit by a bolt of lightning. Didn’t take another step and was dead on impact. High lung shot. Lungs were blown out the back side. Bullet passed through completely. 108 eldm going 2980 at the muzzle.

 

[Steve O]

6 creed, 108 ELDM, 18” prefit and action from @hereinaz. Dropped in bastion stock, with Swfa 3-15. Only 45 rounds down the barrel, loving it so far - remarkable how much more practice you can get in with these 6mms.

~100-120 yards, impact 2600ish fps. Quartering towards, shot off backpack seated, put bullet through front of onside, wound through chest cavity and bloodshot on far shoulder. Photo is taking off far shoulder. Lungs and heart devastated so I’m happy - probably will try ELDX in future just to see how that fares?
View attachment 972282View attachment 972283View attachment 972284

Sweet setup!

 

[bpitcher]

3 Aoudad Ewes, 6CM, 112MB @ ~2880fps



Ewe 1 - 250 yards broadside. ~2547 impact velocity
Entered lower 1/3 shoulder, straight line though the opposite shoulder with a massive exit. Ran 30 yards and dropped.

Entrance


Exit



Ewe 2 - 285 yards. Stopped next to dead Ewe 1. Impact velocity was ~ 2502 fps. Quartering away a little more than I thought. Hit high shoulder and exited jaw. Instant drop. Buddy cleaned this one, so no autopsy photos.


Ewe 3 - a little over 300 yards. Stopped after Ewe 2 was hit. Impact velocity ~2481 FPS. Ran 25 yards and tipped over.

 

[bpitcher]

Aoudad ram - 240 yards, impact velocity ~2560 fps. Hit lower 1/3 shoulder and lodged in the far shoulder. This one behaved very violently. Instant drop.

 

[Poe]

3 Aoudad Ewes, 6CM, 112MB @ ~2880fps

View attachment 974346

Ewe 1 - 250 yards broadside. ~2547 impact velocity
Entered lower 1/3 shoulder, straight line though the opposite shoulder with a massive exit. Ran 30 yards and dropped.

Entrance
View attachment 974349

Exit
View attachment 974347
View attachment 974348

Ewe 2 - 285 yards. Stopped next to dead Ewe 1. Impact velocity was ~ 2502 fps. Quartering away a little more than I thought. Hit high shoulder and exited jaw. Instant drop. Buddy cleaned this one, so no autopsy photos.
View attachment 974352

Ewe 3 - a little over 300 yards. Stopped after Ewe 2 was hit. Impact velocity ~2481 FPS. Ran 25 yards and tipped over.


View attachment 974360

View attachment 974358

Nice to see someone is still using the match burners. I have been debating trying them out if I run out of the 108 elite hunters

 

[Chris Bull Whacker]

6cm did some work this week in southern Alberta. It’s a killer caliber and people in camp told me I was dumb. Proved them wrong quickly with two shots.

First buck was a giant bodied rutted up whitetail at 330 yards with 108 eldm. 2980 at the muzzle. Shot hit him perfectly in the lungs and the buck flinched at the hit and stood there dead on his feet. Didn’t run at all and fell over 5 seconds later where he stood. No autopsy because it was -4 and we had other deer to kill but the bullet didn’t exit. Just smashed his lungs and killed him fast. View attachment 974327

Second buck was a large bodied muley later that day that I was only killing for meat. Buck was 300 yards rutting a doe. Shot him walking and it looked like he was hit by a bolt of lightning. Didn’t take another step and was dead on impact. High lung shot. Lungs were blown out the back side. Bullet passed through completely. 108 eldm going 2980 at the muzzle.
View attachment 974328

Another Albertan on here, let’s go! Nice shooting man.


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[money]

Another Albertan on here, let’s go! Nice shooting man.


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Only problem is…. I’m from Arizona. Haha.

 

[Chris Bull Whacker]

Only problem is…. I’m from Arizona. Haha.

Uggh hahaha! Well I’m glad you had a great time here


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[House21]

Uggh hahaha! Well I’m glad you had a great time here


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I'll be hunting my cow elk draw here in a couple weeks with 243 and 108gr eldms up in the GP area. I think there's a couple of us Albertans in here lol

 

[gwh97]

Aoudad at 420 yards this morning.

6GT
108 ELD M
MV 2910
Impact ~2293

I hit him twice both times a little low, just behind the shoulder. No exits. He ran about 40 yards. I was very pleased with the bullets performance.

 

[AKAV8R]

My favorite “winter” rifle caliber for Ak Wolf, Deer, Caribou, Moose, and occasional spring bears. 30+ yrs. Factory Barnes Triple-shocks or handloaded 100gn Partitions. My FIL loved his .243 for everything; Walrus, Seal, Moose, Bears.

 

[Stache Attack]

Might as well add another shot 11/26/25. Not the deer I was after the last 7 days think he might have been coming off the Mountian. Most character I’ve shot. Had scope dialed to 200 and held 3” high if I was within my zone it was around 275. Mv is still 2560 ish impact should be around 2100. One rib then through other rib, then stuck in the meat on offside shoulder. Went through heart. Not as big of a hole as last time but had complete jacket and core sep. found jacket in shoulder core went through hide behind shoulder. Died in 50 did a couple skids it looked like a death sprint.

16”pbb from @hereinaz 6cm
108eldm black hills gold ammo
Tikka t3 stainless in vg1 added grip and paint
And of course rs1.2, the more I use it the more I love it might even put one on cheap coyote gun