Bears come in all different sizes, areas I hunt in SW Oregon, you see bears from 125 to 375 lbs.
A 300 plus black bear is a dense animal.
The terrain is also very different. If hunting in more open terrain, having a bear go a ways might not be of concern.
In thicker, steeper areas, once a bear gets into the thick stuff, there is hardly a way to follow them or find them.
Depending upon the angle of the shot, breaking a shoulder helps limit the run. For that, personally, I like a larger diameter bullet.
35 Rem does a nice job up close. Mild recoil, maybe harder to find in a Marlin these days.
338 Federal has dropped several bears for me. Lots of blood and typically don't go far.
6.5s and 7s do fine (6.5 Swede and 7mm-08 for me)
Never used a 243 for a bear, not that I wouldn't with the right bullet.
Keep thinking about Reboring something into a 358 Win. Large diameter, even mild loads would do the trick
Spring bear season opens 4/1 !!!
