Can a 243 be a bear gun ???

[slugger]

Well here it is 6 days to General big game season AKA deer season. As I had originally thought the 6mm build is not complete. In the back of my mind I had hopes but ,you know, Life thing. Plan 1 A, I'll use the 243. This is a gun I have adopted form my Daughter MANY years back. The Plan is the 6mm will replace it and I can relinquish it back to her, I'll still keep it safe in MY safe. Now I have shot 1000's of round through it and killed MANY game animals with it, I've added a top notch scope and tailored rounds that will shoot flees of a mouse's back. I'll hate to see it go I REALY have high hopes for the Mauser 6mm Remington. BUT this year I'll use it again for a wonderful buck , no doubt. We plan on a Snowy mountains deer trip and the place we hunt has a healthy population of black bear, in fact they are having a problem bear coming in to there yard and tearing up things. I could carry the 45/70 in the off chance I trip across a bear but man it's a lot of extra effort, everything is up and down there and I NEED all the help I can muster. The 243 is at least 3 pounds lighter and is a much better deer round. Now I'm thinking...
A well places 243 ,85 gr speer in the head of a bear should be a deadly shot, right? The 243 is very capable of putting it in to the exact brain spot. Either I'd kill it or Miss. I took it out again today just to make sure ,and yes 5 holes in a 200 yard target 'bout an inch and a half. It was kinda windy today ,and I did put my coyote Bipods from the '250 and they made little difference over sticks. Any of you 6mm rem. guys
think this is a mistake or a viable plan?
NO I'll stay with the 85's NO 100 grainers for me...Slugger

[7mmfreak]

I would still vote for a chest shot over a head shot on anything but I'm not sure a .243 with an 85gn Speer would be my pick for a chest shot on a bear at 200yds.

[Deleted]

use the heaviest barnes TSX for it and you should be good..

[jims]

I would not advocate a light bullet but one of our members killed a black bear with a .17. He was an excellent shot and close but not what I would want to do.

[deadeye]

Oct 19, 2014 20:44:04 GMT -5 @hillbill said:

use the heaviest barnes TSX for it and you should be good..

exactly X 2-either head or chest for bear

[deertroy1]

I'm not sure why you would be adamant on using the Speer 85gr bullet with so many better choices available. I also would not advocate taking a head shot. Like some of the others stated above, I'd pick a heavier more stoutly constructed bullet from Barnes, Nosler, etc. but to each his own!

[wilmsmeyer]

If you gotta go light on bullets, Why not try a 85 gr Partition or a 80 gr TTSX or Hornady 80 gr GMX?

You might be able to hit the flea off a mouses back but with any of the above bullets you could probably find a load that will still at least hit the mouse....which is MOA Bear heart ventricle.

Also, with the above bullets you could probably get through a tough shoulder and still cross the vitals.

Head shots are risky. If you miss the brain, you could leave a terrible wound to the nose, jaw or ear. Either a very angry bear or a very badly wounded bear that may not be able to eat anymore and starve.

[mike243]

100g would be my pick prob a federal with sierra btsp ,carries 1000lbs to about 400y in a 243 .good luck and heart/lung shots no shoulders as they don't break down as easy as deer

[sourdough44]

A close, very precise shot, yes, a 175 yard 'body shot', no. Those real close shots come over bait or hounds.

If a bear opportunity is really secondary to deer hunting, one can be picky about any shot presented.

For close range bear, hardly anything beats a precise shot to the base of the neck.

[painless31]

Bears can't read headstamps.........

I would be looking at the 85 grain TSX from barnes or a 105 grain amax. Put your bullet in the right spot and it dies.......Blake