.243 for Black Bear?

I don't know about Utah but that would be illegal as Hell in Wyoming. .243 minimum for any big game.
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Actually, Wyoming is a minimun of .230 caliber, and 2" min cartdridge length for rifles while hunting big game. In Utah, the Hornet is legal to hunt big game with. For rifles, Utah allows any centerfire cartridge using an expanding bullet; no caliber, cartridge length, or energy requirements. That said, it will probably never happen. In order for me to use my .22 Hornet on an elk, it would need to be standing broadside, 25 yards from camp, just waiting on me to put a 50 grain soft point in its skull. The odds of the elk walking up to my camp while I happen to be there, then waiting for me to get the Hornet out, then standing perfectly still while broadside.........not real good :) Untill I can get that 1 in a million shot..........I stick with my .270 and .358 Win.
 
This one didn't fall to a 243. It was a 6-71, in a Kenworth hauling logs.
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I can't carry one of those in the state I'm in. :D

243 will kil a black bear just fine. While I am sure there are some monsters out there, most black bears are not very big. I read that the average weight of black bears harvested was around 200 lbs, so about the same size as a large deer or a large pig (he only black bear I ever shot weighed about 220 lbs and was 4 years old), so you don't need a cannon. A good friend of mine took a 600 lbs sow with a 38 Special, so they're not bulletproof. Use a good bullet (I prefer Nosler Partitions for big game) and place it well.
 
Good point about the tracking.

Maybe it's time for a 12-ga slug gun. The 308 will be a precision job anyway.

Scott
 
Sure, the 243 will work fine. Like others say, it wouldn't be my first choice when I walked over to my closet, but if it's the only choice it sure wouldn't keep me from hunting that day! I don't know if it's sound science or not but for some reason, black bears remind me of hogs like I saw on a job in south Texas. Sure, down there I would rather have a 45-70 or a 30-30 but those Texans were routinely shooting 300 lb hogs with 223 rifles or anything they had handy. So yeah, a 243 will do good. Black bear hunting is different than grizzly bears. It's not life threatening so your main concern is a good humane kill.
 
"...to 700lbs..." That'd be a World record bear. 135 kilos(297 lbs) is average. A 600 pound bear is unusual.
A 105 grain A-Max is a target bullet. Not made for hunting anything but varmints. Use a 105 grain SP or SST for Yogi.
 
Sure it will take a black bear.

However; I would definitely use a different bullet (like the Nosler Partition) for your .243. I have to confess (if it were me) I would go with a .308 instead, for a number of reasons. Not the least of which is: What happens if the bear turns or moves just as you are taking the shot with a 100 grain bullet? Not all hunting situations work out exactly as planned, (no matter how good a shot someone is). With that said, my biggest whitetail deer (225 lbs.) was taken with a .243 many years ago, (perfect broadside/still shot). The .243 will work. For me, I would probably go with a larger caliber to give you better all around performance and odds on making a cleaner kill. Just my opinion.
Good luck.
 
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So yeah, a 243 will do good. Black bear hunting is different than grizzly bears. It's not life threatening so your main concern is a good humane kill.
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It may become "life-threatening" when a less-than-perfect shot is taken with that pea-shooter .243, resulting in a wounded bear running off into the brush. Good luck!
 
that pea-shooter .243
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I'm going to agree that although it can most certainly do the job, the .243 is probably not the ideal choice for taking a black bear.

However, the .243 is hardly a "pea shooter". Anyone who thinks it is hasn't seen what a well handled .243 with appropriate ammo/bullet choice is capable of doing to a meat target. My own experience is that the damage it can do is way out of proportion to anything a ballistics table comparison would lead you to believe.
 
Would you even try it?
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No, I would not even try it. Personally I would not recommend anything smaller then a 270 or a 280 with 150 grain pointed soft point. And I dont know if the PSP would be good, or if you would want something with better penetration before expansion.

After the 270 and 280, my next choices would be a 308 or 30-06.

But I own a 280 / 7mm express. So I recommended something that I have first hand knowledge of - but not on bear. I have onyl used it on whitetail deer.
 
I decided a shotgun would be a better deal.

My area is forested, often brushy. It is unlikely for me to get a shot over 100 yards.

My .243 is set up as a varmint/long range gun. It weighs like 15 lbs. It's great for shooting long distances, works fine for positions (sitting, kneeling, etc.), but is plain lousy for short range.

There are too many mismatches between that rifle and this job. I could use the .243 if I had to. But I don't have to, so I won't. Mostly I don't want to lose an animal.

Last night I picked up a Rem 870 Tactical 12-ga and a bunch of slug shells. With a red dot sight it should be a pretty good brush gun.

Scott
 
beezaur - keep in mind that some red dot scopes are only accurate out to about 20 - 30 yards, especially the cheap ones. Be sure to read the reviews before you buy.
 
I already found out that the hard way about cheap red dots. Note to self: never buy anything with a name like "Buckmaster."

I'm looking at the little Aimpoint T-1 Micro. Off season it'll go on my .22 pistol.

Scott
 
Well, yes, given that option I'd go with a 12ga. At close range it's pretty hard to beat the power of a 12ga deer slug. Plenty enough gun for any animal, probably in the world, certainly in North America.
 
For use in a smoothbore shotgun, I'd recommend the Remington Buckhammer or Brenneke slugs. The Buckhammers do hammer pretty good at both ends tho...lol.:eek:
 
Brenneke Black magic magnums would be my 1st choice if I were using a 12 ga. I'd take a ghost ring sight over a red dot any day. I've had both red dot and holographic sights on shotguns, pistols and rifles. I ended up getting rid of them and going back to traditional sighting systems for several reasons.
1-Most of these sights are mounted pretty high so it's impossible to get a good/consistant cheek weld.
2-You have two choices; either leave it on all the time and burn through batteries or turn it on/adjust the brightness before the shot (extra movement and time).
3-A 4+ moa dot means the best accuracy you can ever expect is 4+ moa from any gun regardless of how accurate it is. This, IMO, means that a smoothbore shotgun that only shoots 4 moa with a scope and competent shooter will not be able to print the same groups if 1/2 the target is completely obscured behind a dot.

To me, electronic sights are either for door kicker military/SWAT types who anly shoot things at close range or for mall ninja types.

my .02 anyway.
 
electronic sights are either for door kicker military/SWAT types who anly shoot things at close range or for mall ninja types.
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That's Mr. Mall Ninja to you.

Just placed an order for the Aimpoint T-1.
http://www.aimpoint.com/products/aimpoint_product_lines/aimpoint_micro_t-1

It has a 4-MOA dot and 50,000-hr battery life (yes, that's fifty-thousand hours!) from a CR 2032 coin cell. So basically you leave it on all the time and keep a keychian flashlight as a spare carrier.

The first red dot I tried was a Bushnell Buckmaster (?). It has a [edit: 6-MOA] dot, kind of dazzly too. I got it as a temporary sight for my carbine while I am waiting (and waiting and waiting and waiting) for US Optics to churn out my order. If you cover the target with the dot it does OK. Lots of parallax. Being a bow shooter helps -- you get used to minding your sight allignment and making do with just a front sight. And it flickers. Kind of a piece of junk, but hey, you can still see the irons through the thing if it turns turtle.

I like irons too, but I have gotten to like shooting both eyes open with a red dot. Very fast, works a lot better under pressure (for me).

Scott
 
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