Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 243 for Fall black bear?

Is it foolishness to go after Oregon fall black bear with a 243? If not, what factory ammo would you use? Gun would be an off the rack Remington ADL with a 3x Leupold scope. The reason I ask is because I need a rifle for a buddy pronto and my local store is closing out some of their ADL's at 349 a piece. The only one's left are 223's and one 243. The 3x Leupold is my only "loose" scope right now.

It can be done if you keep a cool head and place your shot(s) well. Choose a good bullet like the 95grNP. I would limit the range to 150yds myself if I were to attempt it. Keep shooting until he is down for the count. Add some thick brush and the pucker factor goes way up.

If it were me I would not do it though some have. And fall bears are tougher than half starved spring bears.

MtnHtr

I had that same thought. I've seen a spring black bear shot with 223AI's that anchored it just fine, but fall bears are noticeably bigger.

I used to run around with a few houndsmen. And the spring bears were always easier to tree with the dogs. Not always so with a fall black bear.

MtnHtr

While they're a bit heftier in the fall they still die the same, no tougher to kill than a spring one.

The 243 will do its job just fine as long as the shooter does theirs.

I've been around more than a few bruins taken with a 22/250 and it wasn't any big deal. So a 243 bothers me not in the least.

Good luck hunting

Dober

Have posted this one before. My friend's wife got this big guy with a single 100 gr winchester Power Point factory load.



They are out moose and caribou hunting right now, and knowing Heather, if they come across a bear there won't be a moments hesitation!

Ted

That power point a good bullet for sure.

Most black bears die easy maybe easier than deer. They are equiped to kill you and the rare one is willing to kill you. Some even seem like they want to kill you.Look at my post titled tough black bear down in the big game section. I'd go bigger. If you run into the rare blackie that is mean spirited like the one in my post below you'll want something that can break bone and stop it.

One in 10 b bears will challenge you, trouble is they are not numbered. So , reason wood dictate that a b bear will run from 150 to 600 or 700 hundred pounds, at least in my area. If u are glassing a 7mm on up is good because these shots will be at ditance, if still hunting big is better 33 +.

In 1974 my dad killed one, while elk hunting, with his old model 70 sporter, loaded with his handloads using 100 gr hornady bullets. The range finder said some 30 years later it was 220 yds across that meadow.
Les Bowman, a long gone gunwriter and guide said the 243 worked well enough for bear, course that was 40 years ago.....

I called one in two years ago that my buddy zapped with a NEF in 243. I think it even had a cheap simmons scope on it. One shot through the lungs and it made it maybe 20 yards max. I think he was using 100 grain corelokts. Last fall another buddy of mine got mauled by a black bear after it took three shots close range from a 444 marlin. The poking device really don't matter as much as where you hit em. The heart lungs on a bear are farther back than what your used to on a deer. Seems guys shoot em broadside in the shoulders expecting them to go down and they don't. Put it behind the shoulders and its dead, or take one shoulder and angle it into the heart lungs. A 100 grain corelokt will do it. A hand loaded partition would be better.

I got one in Washington back in 1974 with my Steyr .243 using 100 grain Barnes projectiles. It was a quartering shot, bear walking away....slipped the pill right behind the rib cage and down he went. I would love to do it again, too.

I aint buyin' the 243 for black bears.

Every serious bear hunter I know shoots nothing less than a 30-06. The average 200 Lb black bear will die quickly from being hit well by most anything, but if you run into a true 450 Lb+ bear, your bullet will need to pass through a few feet of fat, bone and muscle. If it does not pass through you will not have an exit wound, and if you have an insufficient exit wound odds are good you may not be able to find the bear in thick brush, even if it's double-lunged. No blood trail--no bear. In short, you must consider more than just the "perfectly placed heart shot" scenario where the bear dies within 30 yards. And you should consider the substantial mass of a really big bear if you get a shot at one. While accuracy is the #1 factor no matter weapon or species, it is not the only factor--otherwise why not hunt every North American game animal with the 22-250? A bear can be very difficult to track, so a great exit wound is mandatory, at least where I hunt in Northern MN where the visibilities are measured in feet, not hundreds of yards. I should add--I have not hunted bears any further west than Eastern Saskatchewan. Maybe the tracking in thick brush isn't such an issue out west?

How many Bears have you shot?

Well since you asked, here's a few of them. Four of these bears squared between 6'6" and 7'. I'll let you guess which ones Mr. Murphy (or is it Mrs. Murphy?) held me back from taking a couple more 400Lb+ bears. I regret that I have no skull scores for the bigger bears because until recently I did not care about the record book. I just like to shoot a bear that is big bodied or a nice color phase.



I bear hunt twice a year--once in Canada and once in Minnesota. It is a real passion for me. I spend about 25 days per year on my bear hunting between scouting and hunting. Most years between scouting, hunting and random sightings I see 20+ wild bears (I know some see a lot more than that, but many hunters do not). I also talk to people all over the country who are hard-core bear hunters. Not trying to toot my horn, I just believe I have experience worth sharing. I have known too many people who did not recover their bears and that is always a tragedy in my book.

I'm sure a .243 would do the job, but since you're asking......

Do you have anything a little bigger? For animals that get in the 3-400 lbs + range, my preference is to start at 6.5mm and go up. That way you can use 120-140-160 grain bullets.

I suppose a 117 in a .257 Roberts would do just fine, but I'll stay with something bigger.

Thanks for sharing the Photos. I never shot a Bear and probably never will. I seen one here two years ago and he was a very big one. I beleive a poacher shot him he was caught and fined the bear weighed over 400 lbs. had he attacked me I would of shot him but he looked at me and went on his way he wasent scared and diden't run. but I don't want to shoot a bear, just look at them.
Thanks again Hubert.

Hatari: After reading this thread, and talking with my buddy about his comfort level, we decided a 30-06 would be a better choice and I was able to find one for him yesterday. A nice JC Higgins (really an FN Mauser) for $349, complete with Weaver K4, only downside is that the gun's engraved with someone else's social security number!

Very nice find and a excellent choice and action!

Dober

Best part is if he doesn't like it I'll buy it back and turn it into a 7x57