Mostly made that post to stir some thought. Many local's stories and anecdotes will attest to the suitability of a 243 (or less) for a lot of things - including not only moose, but bears as well. My point is only to try to counter the sometimes tendency that moose threads often have where all perspective is lost and moose are nothing more than cardboard cut-outs which can be pushed over with a stick.

I am reminded of the caribou hunt I made this past March with a friend. It was strictly a meat hunt so we were hoping to bring back 10-12 deer. After we accomplished everything we had wanted in the first day and we were reminiscing over the events of the hunt, he commented that he was going to bring a bigger rifle (than the 243) the next time. Two reasons: wind was a factor at some of the distances we were shooting, so he was hitting some in less-than-desirable places, or missing, and he was not seeing evidence of the impacts like more energetic bullets often allow.

I have put four 140 grain bullets into a very ordinary/medium sized bull at less than 200 yards from my Swede. None made it out the back side. Two Partitions were against the hide on the back side; two A-Frames didn't get that far, all on broadside shots. I had time to put the binocs to my eyes and pick out the animal from a group of several for every shot after the first. It's not high on my list of many good choices. I won't detail my use of the 6mm on moose.

Sometimes, the air you 'let in'matters less than the air you 'let out'.