Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 243 vs Bear

How many of you guys (or gals) have ever "actually" taken a black bear with a 243 (or 6MM)? What load (especially the bullet) did you use and how many shots did it take to bring it down ? If you know the weight of the animal, please include it. Thanks, Ben

Bump

I have shot two bears with a .243. Both were shot while deer hunting, and I just came across them. These were taken some years back before I handloaded, so I used factory Remington 100grn Core-Lokt. Both were inside 80yds, broadside, and one shot for each bear. Both bullets exited with one taking some insides with it upon exiting. Neither bear was large, both around 200lbs. It would not be my first choice as a bear cartridge, for there is a risk of a small or no exit wound making traking and recovery difficult.

I had an acquaintance who shot a couple of bears with his 243. The first was a medium sized bear that ran up a tree. He shot and it hung there until it expired and fell out. The other, a medium sized one as well, took a 100 grain Sierra and ran quite a ways but he did find it. My once, long time hunting partner, shot two on our deer hunts and never so much as found a drop of a blood nor found the bears. I asked him to quit shooting bears or use a bigger caliber. Not my choice for bears either.

I've seen it done before and yes it does kill big bears. My brother is a guide for black bears here in Siskiyou County and the bears here are BIG. I have seen his women clients kill big bears with it. My nephew also shot a big bear using 100 Nosler Partition. I know it is quite unethical but I have seen a guy take a tule elk with a 243 too. Just remember that a proper shot placement is more important than caliber size.

And there you have it.

And use good bullets, too.

I have a hard time believing that an 85gr TSX wouldn't do a bang-up job...

Here we go again.....remember, put your shot in the right place and you can get by with a pellet gun!!!!

Yep, git her done with a Daisy!


MtnHtr

i have taken a 450# blackie with a .243 AND NEVER AGAIN. i was 16 years old at the time and only owned that one rifle.

long story short, bear sopped up an entire magazine +1 in the chest at a range of 30 feet to six feet without visible effect. finally connected with a big bone and bear climbed a tree. one more shot between the eyes closed the chapter. then i sat down for awhile because my legs were shaking.

don't think you will always be able to surgically place one into the CNS. bears don't like that and will do what they can to prevent it.

do yourself a favor and step up to something that will take a shoulder out.

Only ever shot one Yogi with a .243, kinda little guy...in the ear...it worked..

Ingwe

tooth pic people, tooth pics I say!

I've been around a few taken with the 243 and the 6/06 and would have no qualms what so ever about doing it again.

But, I've seen more than a few go down via 22/250 and Swifts as well and would have no worries about doing that again either...grin

Dober

I would do it with Barnes bullets.

Yep!
Ingwe

What bullet were you shooting?

You know the 243 gets such a bad rep that people start believing it is about like shooting rock salt.
I sold my first 243 to guy I knew growing up. He was not a friend but I knew him and he was a good guy. Though not a hunter he had aspirations and I had a rep as "gunny" so he sought me out and I ended up selling him my 243.
I moved from area but fast forward 15ish years I'm back visiting some family and I run into him. I ask him about my ole rifle.
Seems most of his pals tell him he bought a pea shooter barely deer capable.
This guy has a bakery that abuts tight up to thick woods in the back and he has a lot of problems with bear breaking into his storage shed for the flour, sugar, etc. He goes on to tell me he has had a couple occasions of bears pushing their head into the back door of the bakery during business hours.
He observed a big bear that has been giving him trouble move in on his wife, her unaware, while she is cooking on the grill on a Sunday afternoon with his three little kids in the backyard.
He decides to take matters into his own hands and hearing how ineffectual a 243 is decides to butt shoot the particularly big and bold trouble maker to teach him a lesson.
Imagine his surprise when the little ole 243 with factory fodder of some sort smashed the hip incapacitating the bear. A second shot to the shoulder finished the deed in very decisive fashion.
Now he says after seeing what that 243 did to a bear he couldn't even budge with his 4 wheeler he doesn't understand why people poo poo the cartridge.
Just thought I'd share that story.

you know, i honestly don't remember. they were handloads, and this was the '70s. there wasn't many choices on the table then.

but whatever bullets i had were not getting to the vitals. granted, TSXs would have undoubtedly saved me some anguish, but i lay some of the failure on the cartridge. it's a great varmint and deer rifle, lousy bear gun. i would rather have bear spray

now a .243 vs. wolf on the other hand would put me in my happy place.

Shot placement with good bullets anchor game. There are poor bullet choices in larger cartridges as well, just that they usually are not commonly loaded with varmint bullets.

A 243 is not a 'go to' bear round just using any old bullet, but I recall years ago reading an article by a gent who CHOSE it for his black bear and deer rifle, a Sako Forester using 100gr Partitions. He had no complaints. That was written back in the 80s if not 70s. He had found good success with his combo.

Perception is reality in the eye of the beholder. There are those who should not use light cartridges in certain applications, whether they simply lack confidence in their equipment, and/or the competency to use it well enough to achieve success, and that includes bullet choice.

No flame on anyone who ever failed to select the BEST bullet and did not have success. I have learned many things over the years.

A few years ago I hesitated to use my then #1 RSI mannlicher in 243 as it's last range trip was sighted in w/70gr TNTs, but I DID want to carry it on the next mornings deer hunt.

I accepted the bullet was fragile and marginal on just any shot and that a SELECTED shot was the only one to be taken. It all worked out, a doe stepped out at 40 yds and I neck shot her, dang near de-capitated her. DRT kill, I was happy. A year later, I wanted to chamber an 85 Barnes X to test it's performance, and the first ever hog kill on my friends land stepped out at 240 yds, it dropped on the spot. I would NEVER had taken the shot with a TNT.....PERHAPS a head shot only, but nothing else as I KNOW the bullet would fail to penetrate much at all on the hog.

Knowing how that Barnes killed, and seeing the recovered bullet on the offside, if that is what I had in hand and game i.e. black bear, caribou, even elk or moose presented at 200 yds or less, I would W/O hesitation use it with confidence, the latter two, putting thru the lungs if possible.

That bullet is an exception in MY mind in a 243 or other 6mm bores. I am sure a few others will fill the bill.

Point is that perceptions of ANY cartridge must be tempered with caution as to what bullet is selected.

The legendary 6.5x55 would not have the impressive century old record of Swedish Moose kills and every other animal it dropped had it been using 85-95 gr 'light constructed low S.D.' bullets, just as a 7x57 w/cup core 100-120s, or the 30-06 w/125s. All are VERY good killers with heavier, tougher bullets, again with shot placement- on large animals.

The 243 simply was designed to be a 'dual role' varmint and big game (namely deer) and because of that, ALOT of factory varmint weight bullets were available, and used with ill effect knowingly or not to the user - not being the best choice on deer.

In addition, take for example the 85 Sierra HPBT, I was told it was beefed up over time, and early reports were sometimes that it failed to penetrate and kill deer well. Since then, MANY 243 and 6mm Rem owners rave how it kills deer like lightning. Point is, bullets sometimes also undergo development/changes and I can see how 6mm bullets have sometimes been 'tweaked' when real world field testing yielded less than optimum results. Refinement of bullets is not/has not been just limited to 6mm bullets.

Knowledge is power as they say, and bullet choice is a big key to success in using lighter cartridges IMHO.

FWIW, my brother wanted a blackie w/a bow, failed to get the opportunity, so when one appeared at the end of the hunt, his friend offered a 600 Mohawk in 6mm. I don't know what bullet, but believe it was a 100gr of sorts. He got his bear, not a spectacular size one, nor did it drop on the spot. I would believe the Barnes would have been the best bullet for him, had he been able to choose, but he used what he had, it worked. In retrospect, he has no interest in doing it again, shooting a bear, or using a light round to do it. That's just his experience about the rug hanging in his office.

In my mind, I'd want a bullet in any round designed for alot of penetration, and if wanting a good blood trail just in case, a round like a 358, 350 Rem will punch a larger hole than a small bore by virtue of larger frontal area. Odds are it will drop a bear faster. Again, if what I had was a 243, you can even get Federal loads now IIRC in 85 grain Barnes, and I'd let not just one fly, but put a 2nd or 3rd round in for insurance assuming it's still on it's feet. Minimal recoil will allow fast follow up shots if needed, so why not.

Best of success.

Yes I have taken in Alberta a 93 lbs blackie with a .243. He was scurying around my hunting camp in the bush. Since I had a tent I shot him to prevent tent damage. I had just returned from Coyote hunting. I hit him in the throat while he was facing me at less then 20 yards, collapsing instantly.
I have seen at least 7 skilled hunters in Alberta turn away from the .243/6mm for hunting big whitetails. The .243 just does not have it as a GOTO rifle for big whitetails in this part of the world. Certainly not on adult blackbear with its heavy shoulder and chest muscles.
Same in the Yukon a couple people I know were enamoured by the accurate and mild recoiling .243. After a couple disappointing performances on trophy bull caribou they moved on to the larger cartridges.
The .243 shines on coyotes, wolves, seals( head shots only), and small 120 lbs peary caribou in the arctic and I suppose small races of whitetails in some part of the USA and small antelope in Africa. I also have used the .243 to harvest whitetail and mule fawns with head shots, whose meat I cherish for my freezer. The .243 does not have enough in the puny bullet to be a CONSISTENT AND RELIABLE performer on larger game with heavier chest and shoulder muscles. That is just the way it is, nothing you can do about it.
Yes, it can be done, perfect bullet placement under ideal conditions etc. Yes, the biggest grizzly in Alberta was shot with a .22 long rifle or short( I forgot which one exactly) from a single shot rifle by an indian lady on the trapline. The bear completely unaware of her came within 5 yards when she shot it in the head.

THE FACT THAT IT CAN BE DONE AND HAS BEEN DONE, DOES THAT MEAN THEN THAT IT THEREFORE SHOULD BE DONE FROM THEN ONWARD?

The ideal cartridge i.m.o.is a cartridge/bullet combo that not only can do the job when everything is just right, but that can do the job even when conditions are not just right.
To KNOWINGLY go after big game with an under powered set up just to prove that you can do it................is in my personal opinion a form of unjustifiable EGO TRIPPING, highly unethical IMO. It does not make you a better hunter or shooter.It proves that you flooked out once more.

I invite those who INSIST indulging routinely in such practices, (if they have the courage)to conduct their future Grizzly, Elephant, Cape Buffalo or Lion hunts with the 6.5x54. Yes, you must finish off your criples like a real man with the 6.5x54.............but like Bell, no back up allowed!! With good bullet placement it can be done. Bell proved it can be done by shooting hundreds of those animals with the 6.5x54 right?, so go emulate him. If we don't hear back from you, we know another dummy got weeded out of the human gene pool.

i shot one 200 lb bear with a .243... 85 sierra bthp... one shot and it was on the ground kicking...