243 for black bear
- Thread starter Hunter527
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I’d say that’s on the very low end of the scale for bear and would pick something larger. My minimum is .270
I was curious because my kansas whitetail went down within seconds. Why wouldn’t the 243 do the same to a similarily sized black bear?
Not saying it won’t do the job, I personally think it’s on the light end of things. I carry my .243 from time to time in bear country but not my first choice.
I was asking because I’m going to be hunting deer in D14 this year and pick up a bear tag in case I’m lucky enough to come across one, thanks for the info.
When I was first gearing up to begin my Hunting journey in 2014, I read a lot about this same topic.
While obviously a .243 could do it, especially with a copper round like a Barnes TSX. Something somebody said on one of the responses made a lot of sense to me.
He mentioned how when bears get shot, they tend to want to run into the thickest, most dense cover they can find, and the guy was basically saying that having more energy on tap can help tip the scales in your favor is terms of the bear going down right there, or in doing less running, equating to less tracking in tight thick stuff that'll make ya nervous as hell trying to follow in after it.
Same guy also said to give 'em a good amount of time to expire. No sense in risking life and limb. And Ooohweee.. this one dudes pictorial he showed of how he had to track the bear!... Oh man... talk about pucker-factor! Dude had to crawl in under brush...listening carefully... moving forward slowly... until he finally spotted the bear... and that dudes bear... it wasn't completely down for the count yet. It was grrr'n at him, though obviously close to death... deep within that pucker brush, and way closer than any of us would like to be from a bear that's not 100% dead yet. I think he said 15yds or so, something like that.
And it was that thought... that swayed me towards opting for a heavier caliber instead. Especially being newer, figured more energy the better, even though I don't care for the recoil from it. While actually hunting, it doesn't matter... you're gonna be so pumped you won't even feel it. My first deer I was leaned-in against a large rock at a weird steep angle and got clocked a lil bit with some scope bite. I knew it had knocked against me, but I didn't feel significant in that moment. But later on the next day when I woke-up had a nice little nickel-sized shiner in the corner of my eye .
While obviously a .243 could do it, especially with a copper round like a Barnes TSX. Something somebody said on one of the responses made a lot of sense to me.
He mentioned how when bears get shot, they tend to want to run into the thickest, most dense cover they can find, and the guy was basically saying that having more energy on tap can help tip the scales in your favor is terms of the bear going down right there, or in doing less running, equating to less tracking in tight thick stuff that'll make ya nervous as hell trying to follow in after it.
Same guy also said to give 'em a good amount of time to expire. No sense in risking life and limb. And Ooohweee.. this one dudes pictorial he showed of how he had to track the bear!... Oh man... talk about pucker-factor! Dude had to crawl in under brush...listening carefully... moving forward slowly... until he finally spotted the bear... and that dudes bear... it wasn't completely down for the count yet. It was grrr'n at him, though obviously close to death... deep within that pucker brush, and way closer than any of us would like to be from a bear that's not 100% dead yet. I think he said 15yds or so, something like that.
And it was that thought... that swayed me towards opting for a heavier caliber instead. Especially being newer, figured more energy the better, even though I don't care for the recoil from it. While actually hunting, it doesn't matter... you're gonna be so pumped you won't even feel it. My first deer I was leaned-in against a large rock at a weird steep angle and got clocked a lil bit with some scope bite. I knew it had knocked against me, but I didn't feel significant in that moment. But later on the next day when I woke-up had a nice little nickel-sized shiner in the corner of my eye .
PS... some food for thought... I have a Black Bear Upper Arm Bone (Humerus) I found while out and about. That freakin' thing is MASSIVE!!! The joint ends are obscenely huge and the thinnest part of the bone is like 3" in diameter. Brother... I'd say after you've taken 1 or 2 and you feel pretty confident for what to expect... then maybe have fun opting for lighter choices if you're comfortable with it. .243's give up about 1000ft/Lbs on a .308 from what I remember. .243's are like in the 2000's range. .308's are in the 2800-2900 range. That's a nice little buffer-zone of extra energy if ya ask me.
If I were hunting bears specifically I’d definitely use a bigger caliber. One thing that stinks is my dad has a few bolt action 7 mags but I shoot left handed so those are no use to me. Being still in high school I’m stuck using my 243 until I save up for a better all around big game rifle. I do have an old semi auto 30-06 but I’ll have to take it to the range and see how well it cycles.
Hey man... if you are like Zen with that .243... they by all means use that .243.. you feel me? Like if you know you can take out Ground Squirrels heads at near 100yds with it, for example, then you're good to go no doubt. The .243 with it's 2000's ft/Lbs is right about on par with the hotter .30/30 loads. And want nobody tell ya a .30-30 can't hang with a black bear, ya know?
I'd just say make it a Barnes TTSX Projectile. They are wicked on game!
And heck... reach out to a brother man.. if you got a spot where you know some black bear are in there, hit me up. I'll back you up with one of the lever actions... either the .30-30 or the .44 Mag. I'm hoping this year to take something out with the newest addition which is the 1894 Marlin .44 Mag
I'd just say make it a Barnes TTSX Projectile. They are wicked on game!
And heck... reach out to a brother man.. if you got a spot where you know some black bear are in there, hit me up. I'll back you up with one of the lever actions... either the .30-30 or the .44 Mag. I'm hoping this year to take something out with the newest addition which is the 1894 Marlin .44 Mag
I have not shot a bear. But I can say anything killed by a stick and a string can be killed by a 243 if you keep the shot under 200yds. If I was deer hunting and had a bear tag I would shoot a bear with a 243. Like @ilovesprig said it’s all about shot placement.
I kill everything with a 260 Remington 6.5mm bullet and they all die. 260 is a step up from 243 on the wildcat scale. I will be using that rifle for bear this fall. When deer hunting in D16 I am going to use my 243 that way my boy and I are shooting the same caliber. I don’t know why I am choosing to do that other than it seems cool to me.
If I was going on a spring black bear hunt where it was exclusively bear I wouldn’t choose to bring my 243 if another caliber was available. At the same time if my kid was going on a spring black bear hunt he would be shooting 243. Honestly if you get on a black bear in D14 it will probably weigh less than 200lbs. It’s not like you are shooting a gris. It’s all about shot placement a 7mm in the gut is less affective than a 6mm in the boiler room. The most important thing is that you get out and hunt.
I kill everything with a 260 Remington 6.5mm bullet and they all die. 260 is a step up from 243 on the wildcat scale. I will be using that rifle for bear this fall. When deer hunting in D16 I am going to use my 243 that way my boy and I are shooting the same caliber. I don’t know why I am choosing to do that other than it seems cool to me.
If I was going on a spring black bear hunt where it was exclusively bear I wouldn’t choose to bring my 243 if another caliber was available. At the same time if my kid was going on a spring black bear hunt he would be shooting 243. Honestly if you get on a black bear in D14 it will probably weigh less than 200lbs. It’s not like you are shooting a gris. It’s all about shot placement a 7mm in the gut is less affective than a 6mm in the boiler room. The most important thing is that you get out and hunt.
Here we go...……………..
Oh Good Grief... Kid... their yanking your chain with that last comment, don't pay them any mind or they'll harass ya worse than Bill Cosby after the drink is finished.
The 'Dog can help you here on which backup gun is needed. He has it all wired and can also point you to the right leafy suit you need to kill a bear...whether it be a black bear, grizzly, Polar, care bear or Chicago Bear. And, as a bonus, if you are battling insomnia his lengthy replies might help with that too..!!
