AS the others have said, if a 243 or 6mm was all I owned, I'd load it with 100 PT's or similar constructed bullet and limit my distance a little more. I wouldn't stay home that's for sure. Saying that, the smallest I have used on elk is the 270 and it works just fine. Good bullets equalize a bunch of stuff in my opinion.

When my daughter decides she wants to tackle elk with me, I'll probably have the little 6.5 Swede loaded up with a good bullet. I suspect it'll work well too.

I do understand what Brad means though, not all elk are the same nor the places we hunt them. My current favorite is the 7mm Mashburn with a good 160/175..


Semper Fi