Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 243 vs Bear

I agree with shrike, that's why I used a 250AI on this bear...

Steelhead,
Nice big bear, how much did it weigh?
whelennut

Those 100 TSX are better Bear Ju Ju than 85 TSX in 6mm

Nice!

I have shot several big whitetails and mule deer here in Alberta, and I've guided in caribou camp in the NWT, and I can tell you that with good bullets and proper placement, the .243 will get the job done without a hitch.



I believe the same can be said of EGO TRIPPING about guys who show up at deer camp with a .338 Mag or .300 UM, no??

Bottom line is that people use what they like, what they want, and what they feel good and comfortable using. End of story.

Actually that bear took a 110gr Accubond, distance was about 70 yards.

6 1/2 foot, 19" skull.

Nice, the AB in my mind is in the middle of the PT and BT in terminal performance. I was thinking you used some TSXs in that AI.

Yes Johnw exactly my point................you flooked out.
Of all things a sierra 85 bthp. Now go on an Elephant Cape buffalo hunt with a 6.5x54 and report us all your one shot instant kill.

Jordan Smith, those who come "overgunned" at least do not plan on playing Russian Roulette with a nice Caribou Trophy.
At least they are erring on the large side, you can not deny, those larger bores will get the job done just fine.
Having guided in the NWT for Caribou means very little. The greenhorns they hire nowadays that have to pass off as guides makes you feel sorry for the heavy paying customers. Many outfits can not even guarantee a guide with 5 years or more of experience under their belt if you ask for it.
You may be one with 5 or more years experience, if so, disregard above comments.
Like I said and you said a .243 will do the job,only with excellent bullets and precise placement. Leaving no room for error what so ever on a big bull. You are cold shivering? It is windy and your hold circles around? Is the bull you want so badly at that 300+ yard mark Are you prepared to let that bull Caribou go? Yes you will say most caribou get shot well below the 200 yard mark. Indeed most first time customers get so excited when they see their firstt Bulls that they think they are all big and let fly. I have been there too Jordan, I worked for 9 years in the NWT mainland on the Bathurst and Beverly herds and in the Yukon on the Porcupine herd.

Professional hunters in the NWT who go out from Fort Smith and shoot for the Hunters and Trappers Association to sell the meat in town all have settled for .270 and 7mm Magnum with some 30-06 in between. Those 2 factory available calibers were choosen for performance based on many years of experience and availability of ammo.
These boys go out and shoot about 150 caribou a time to be sold in town at cost. All of them are excellent shots and have tried in the past the .243 and other cartridges and shun them as cripplers.
As a retired wildlife biologist on arctic and sub-arctic wildlife with 25 years experience I have seen more then my share of natives and whites using minimalist cartridges that only do the job when everything goes just right. My colleques in Alaska, the Yukon and NWT all feel the same about the .243. Great for seals with head shots, wolves and Pearyi 125 lbs caribou. Not a GOTO rifle for bigger game.
I SUGGEST MINIMALISTS LEARN A BIT RESPECT FOR BIG GAME ANIMALS.
They are not just targets to experiment on with different type of bullets. Big Game animals deserve respect and a clean kill.
Use your small cartridges for more appropriate game.

you can call it whatever you like, partner...
fact is, a bullet in the right place generally has like results on like game...

and, fwiw, we were calling coyotes when it happened....

The last big critter that I shot with a 243 was a big wild boar(hog) that was busy ripping my friend's dog to shreds.

I was about five yards from the hog and hit him perfectly in the back of his neck with a Sierra 85 grain HPBT.

Although the spine was very close to the entry wound,the hog was totally unfazed.

A few tense seconds later he turned and I hit him under the ear,he died instantly.

The reason I was using the 243 with 85 grain HPBTs was to minimize the chance of an exiting bullet hitting a dog.

As I see it,the 243 shines or fails based upon bullet choice and shot placement. On big game animals,I want Nosler Partitions in my 243,or something equivalent.

I've never killed a seal or one of them dang musky oxes,but that's how I see it.

I run 85gr X bullets in the other 250AI.

If your first couple of paragraphs were meant to insult me or degrade my credibility, they've gone unnoticed with no effect. This isn't a contest about who has done more guiding or hunting, or traveled to more countries, provinces, or hunt camps, with the winner earning "bragging rights" for having guided longer or in more areas than the other. I couldn't care less how many years a guy has hunted, guided, or outfitted. My point is that I've seen a LOT of caribou and deer shot with .243's as well as larger cartridges, and in my experience I've seen more animals make tracks and cause me grief because of guys being afraid of their rifles, closing their eyes, and gritting their teeth at the shot, than from smaller rifles that people are more comfortable shooting.

How many hunters come to camp with a brand new rifle shooting cartridges the size of a wine bottle that they have barely shot at all before hand, spraying 12-15" groups at 100 yards during sight in FROM THE BENCH (!!) because they are flinching like mad? I would FAR rather have a hunter bring his old, worn .243 with good bullets than some big .300 UM that he is afraid of and unfamiliar with. YMMY, but that's been my experience.

I've tracked bunches of deer, elk and bear shot with 7 mags, 06's, 300's and 338's by other people. Can't recall any I've had to track that where shot with 22-26 caliber. You can draw whatever conclusions you want. It is what it is.

Never with a 243--just don't like it, Ben.

Did kill one with a 22-250. Arrows, too.

Steelhead, Thanks- I forget how many rifles you have Nice problem.

Me too....

I love to listen to bear hunting stories, and people who have shot a few nuisance bears over the years. One guy used a 204 Ruger, another one says .243 works great when he is up a tree and shooting straight down into the spine.
I have also listened to a lot of wounded bear stories over the years.
I own more than one rifle and see no reason to pick a small one
when hunting something that could become surly when wounded.
For myself a 180 gr 30-06 would seem sensible, and bigger is always better in my eyes. At least until the recoil becomes your main focus.
I know an old lady who shot one at her bird feeder with her 30-30 when it was standing up she hit it in the chest at close range. She told me it made it into the woods which suited her just fine. That way she didn't have to bury it.
She is lucky it didn't come onto the porch!
I talked to a Native Alaskan who used a Mini-14 .223 for caribou but that wouldn't be my first choice.
I'm sure they have been killed with .22 rimfire when they are denned up but that wouldn't make it a good choice for the average 1 box of shells per year city boy.
whelennut

I've heard this one too long......"I'd rather have a hunter who can shoot his .243 (.223, .22-250???) than one who was afraid of his "real" rifle".

Let's be honest, we're not talking about a .338 or .375 ...... just an adequite rifle for the game. Any shooter who can't handle the recoil of a .270 or .30-06 needs t wear a different brand of panties.

In my experience a poor shot with a .30-06 is still a poor shot with a .243 and would not shoot any better if he used a BB gun. To claim that one uses a .243 because he can shoot it better than a .270/.30-06.....I call BULLSHIT!!

I'm sorry this is so hard for you to get your arms around.