.243 win for black bear

Quote:
Quote:
I have killed most of my bear and deer with archery, Ive shot 4 blacktailed deer and 2 bears with a 30-06 and a 7mm rem mag. Both calibers were extreemely way way way way too much gun for black bear and blacktailed deer. Completly destroys bear with a six inch hole and almost blows deer in half. lol Im tired of cleaning up a mess and throwing out a quarter of a blood shot animal that looks like he got hit with a 120mm tank round. and thats with the little 140-150 gr. factory loads.





Move to a heavier constructed bullet and stay away from the poly tipped bullets.




My thoughts exactly. I took a black bear last fall w/ 30.06. He probably weighed in the 225# range. First shot, broadside vitals did the trick, no exit. He stopped rolling on the only flat spot for miles, to make sure he stayed there, I spined him w/ the second just below the base of the skull. Exit was approx 3". This was at 80yds using Rem factory 180gr Corlocs. I had hunted the weekend prior w/ my .243. After seeing a 400#+ boar, I decided, I NEEDED more bore. .243 will darn sure kill black bear, the question is how far will you have to track, and is it enough if you REALLY need to put one down in a hurry.
 
im sure people will say that the gun i use is way to big for black bear, but i wse a 300 ultra mag. its done great for me in the years past,the bears i've shot with it have dropped where they stood, neither bear was a monster the largest one being 260. but when im in the brush calling i take my 45-70 gov,theres just some thing comforting about packing 450 grains of lead.
 
Quote:
im sure people will say that the gun i use is way to big for black bear, but i wse a 300 ultra mag. its done great for me in the years past,the bears i've shot with it have dropped where they stood, neither bear was a monster the largest one being 260. but when im in the brush calling i take my 45-70 gov,theres just some thing comforting about packing 450 grains of lead.




I have harvested one bear with bow and arrow and one bear with my 300 RUM. The bear was DRT at the shot. I was using a 180g Scirroco. The year I shot this bear I witnessed 11 others taken in my hunting party of all got off the ground and ran after the shot. The shooters were using any thing from 180 SPs out of a 30-06 to 12 guage slugs. Bullet selection is crutial. I even witnessed a bear hit right behind the front shoulders that didnt even flintch from a shot fired from a 300 RUM using 180g Ballistic tips. I think the 180g Scirroco/ 300 RUM combo for bear is the optimum. You can never be under gunned for bear in my area being you never know if you've treed a hundred and fifty pounder or a 600 plus. I'm a big fan of the 243 but have enough common sense to know I would not want to track a bear in the thick brush on such a marginal caliber.
 
maybe a 25-06 with barnes triple x at 120 gr. I wouldn't feel comfortable with a 243. Its about not having the animal suffer for an extended period of time before it dies. The last thing you want is go find your bear wounded and upset with you. Then you shoot it again and ruin some more meat. One shot one kill.
 
If you're USED TO YOUR WEAPON you should be able to shoot whatever you want, legally, no matter the size bullet or animal. That being said, bears are fatty and do plug up quickly, so if you have to do any tracking in thick stuff - TAKE A SHOTGUN WITH SLUGS!!!
 
Fear not I found my solution, I now have loaded up some rounds with 85 gr. barnes tripple shock x, I did testes through wood and and bagges of bird seed for penetration tests. My tsx bullets penetrated twice as much as the Sierra splitzer boat tails. I will use them for bear at a couple hundred yards or closer. I am sure they will do the job. I loaded my rounds hot, as hot as i could get them before they would give signs of too much chamber preasure, I get 3,435 fps with my tsx.
 
IMO having killed several large black bear, a 243 at 300 yds at a 2 or 3 hundred pound bear is not a very good idea regardless of bullet type. I have a deep respect for the power and will to live of a black bear,and have witnessed lost bears at long range,with larger caliber guns. If you shoot as well as you say, putting a shot thru the boiler room of a deer will certainly not tear a blacktail in half. Nor will it waste a lot of meat on a bear. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif Unless you are talking about rib meat,heart or lungs? I suggest leaving the 243 at home and take the 7mm. If you shoot behind the shoulder (should be 16 to 18 in target at least) and not thru the shoulder you shouldnt wast a thing. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
Probably not the best choice of caliber for a bear of any kind or size. Not enough kinetic energy for a quick kill. You will need a deep pocket full of ammo to drop the bear - too much hide, bones, fat, muscle, etc.. before you get to the sweet spot and quite frankly I just don't think the .243 is the correct caliber of choice when there are plenty of other choices which would be much better.
 
Back
Top