I have seen it done a few times but never shot an elk myself with a 243. In 50+ years of elk hunting and guiding I have come to think of the 243 about like every other person who's seen them used a lot.
Bullet holes kill, not guns or bullets. Those are tools to make the hole. Holes can vary in 3 ways. Diameter, depth and straightness.
The 243 shows excellent results when used with excellent bullets and mediocre results when used with mediocre bullets. It can give poor results when used with poor bullets.
JUST LIKE MOST OTHER CARTRIDGES!
But when used with Barnes TSX, Nosler Partitions bullets, Hornady GMX, Swift bullets and many of the best bonded bullets the 243 kills elk just fine. Maybe not as dramatic as the same placement with a 30-06 or 300 mag, but the elk die quickly enough when the bullet hole goes through what it should and a good 243 bullet will do just that. I prefer larger and heavier bullets, but there is no arguing with success, and I have seen good kills many times from 243s.
