Deep Curl 90gn - Cow ELk

Teknys

Handloader
Jan 14, 2008
776
187
This elk was taken by a buddies daughter. Her first big game animal. I loaded the 243 with RL17 and the 90gn Speer Deep Curl. The load is the middle of the book.

No bullet recovery, it was a complete pass thru at 100yds. Entry was bullet dia between ribs behind shoulder and exit was size of half dollar taking out a rib. The cow staggered about 20yds and went down.

This is just an example of a well placed shot with coaching by Dad and the performance of a 90gn Deep Curl. Not suggesting that the 243 is an ideal elk cartridge. It just shows that all animals die if shot precisely, even elk :)
 
Wow, sounds like great performance. I started to pick up a box of those but everywhere was out of stock earlier.
 
Very nice.. Sounds like it worked fine and under that sorta condition, your buddy and his daughter executed that poor old cow elk!
 
That does sound like excellent performance, Speer has done well with the Deep Curl line. Congrats to your buddies daughter.
 
Great report on the Deep Curl, I am actually surprised it passed thru an elk, that is interesting,
although I have not tried to kill an elk using a body shot, with my 243W. But I have shot some moose with it . Folks are always amazed when they see me hunting meat moose with it, and even more so when they go to the tagging station and see the Moose shot in the side of the head with it.[Thought they think nothing that we regularly shoot coyotes at 300 yds? For some reason, a headshot on a 800-900lb animal standing broadside, seams a bit risky for them?] I have never tried one thru the ribs , but I can add to this that Moose shot in the side of the head with a 100gr softpointed bullet from a 243 W, are obviously dead on impact, but an interesting side note is that bull moose when shot this way, and you walk up to them a big percentage of the time the rack is NOT intact anymore, and are split right into up that wiggly line you see in a dryed out skull, the impact is so vilent that it appears the preasure trying to escape the skull plate will usually push that apart and the horns are then sorta in two separated parts at that time :shock: .............. I obviously do not use that technique on trophy bulls, but thought I would share that bit of trivia.
All this gets right back to the magnum theory and how we all need one to make long shots and how much better they kill stuff........................Well that is simply not the case, In fourty years of guiding hunters all over the world; its still "shot placement" that counts, not a steep shoulder and a belted case. :wink:
 
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