You are right of course about E&E. I should have specified a civilian application where one would expect to be able to stay with the downed aircraft.

I would prefer a larger caliber to .243 for elk as well, but at 5 lbs (for the wood-stocked version at least) it might get to be a burden to shoot. (I think these were developed with youth hunters in mind rather than as a survival tool.) But in a survival situation a .243, while not perfect, will get the job done.