Factory .243 ammo for bear

[rynokron]

I know it's not ideal but what is some good factory ammo for a .243 for black bear? Mostly I'm a coyote hunter, but I've seen a few bears out and about so I'll be leaving the .223 at home August 1st and bringing the .243. Also will be packing my trusty Benelli with some 00 buck.

[Wazukie]

I shoot a 100grn bullet out of my .243 for bear and deer.  I would bet that 100grn corlokt would work well.  We took a 200lb bear with a 87 grn last year

[RadSav]

I've seen a good number of bear killed with the old standard 100 grain Core-Lokt and Hornady Inner-Lok.  I've always been impressed with the penetration you get out of the 100 grain 6mm.  I prefer .25 for bear, but the 6mm will definately slam a bear with some proper bullet placement. 

[BLR 243]

Nosler partitions kill bears and 300lb blacktails.

[deerhunter_98520]

Nosler partitions kill bears and 300lb blacktails.

Thats all ive shot out of my .243  spendy for the federal premiums at $40 but if you reload it cuts the cost in half

[whackmaster]

I have taken big bears with 100 grain Core-Lokt .243 this is the deadliest mushroom in the woods

[Huntbear]

I am planning on handloading 95 gr. Partitions for my .243 WSSM for deer and bear.  It shoots the 95 gr. Ballistic Tips lights out..

[rynokron]

Thanks. Sounds like the 100 grainers are the way to go. I have some Fedral 85gr game kings BTHP that shoot good. Guess I have an excuse to to run up to Cabelas again. 

[BOWHUNTER45]

100 gr hornaday Inner - Lok 

[C-Money]

If I need to shoot factory, I grab a box of the Federal classic ammo in the blue box. Always work well for me, 243win included.

[xXLojackXx]

I would shoot the Barnes TSX out of a .243 for almost 100% weight retention, deadly expansion, and reliable performance.

[rynokron]

Did some shooting at the range today. My rifle seems to favor lighter bullets. Shoots Hornady 58gr superformance Vmax the best. The Fedral Premium 85gr Sierra Game King BTHP was second and Blue box Fedral 80gr soft points third. The 100gr soft points I've tried in the past were similar results as the 80gr Fedral.

Any feed back on the 85gr Sierra's? They are rated as a medium game round. (deer and black bear) As far as shot placement they seem to be my best bet for a heavier round.

[RadSav]

Any feed back on the 85gr Sierra's? They are rated as a medium game round. (deer and black bear) As far as shot placement they seem to be my best bet for a heavier round.

.206 SD and around .300 BC - would make me nervous shooting bear with that.  Especially with Sierra history of loosing it's jacket at high speeds.

What groups are you getting with the 100 grainers?

[rasbo]

go with the core-lokt,never a problem here with them,put your shot where it belongs

[bearpaw]

Did some shooting at the range today. My rifle seems to favor lighter bullets. Shoots Hornady 58gr superformance Vmax the best. The Fedral Premium 85gr Sierra Game King BTHP was second and Blue box Fedral 80gr soft points third. The 100gr soft points I've tried in the past were similar results as the 80gr Fedral.

Any feed back on the 85gr Sierra's? They are rated as a medium game round. (deer and black bear) As far as shot placement they seem to be my best bet for a heavier round.

I would be nervous with an 85gr too, I have seen a couple bear get away shot with older style 100gr in 243. I would go for a top quality 100 gr bullet. Small bear die easy, but you do not want to run into a 300 to 400 pounder with light or low grade bullets. 

[rynokron]

Thanks for all the advice, fellas. 100 grain it is. The groups with heavier bullets were pretty good. Right about an inch, but the 58's were touching each other. After bear and deer are over I'll be using the 58 grainers for shure for cat's and dogs.

[inchtowntracking]

I have killed a ton of bears with 100 grain core-lokts in my .243.

[rasbo]

I have killed a ton of bears with 100 grain core-lokts in my .243.

well thats only 4 bears if you go by weight,cause they all weigh 500lbs

[Alchase]

I have killed a ton of bears with 100 grain core-lokts in my .243.

well thats only 4 bears if you go by weight,cause they all weigh 500lbs

LOL

[jackmaster]

not to get anyones butt hairs up but shot placement is most important as we all know, i have killed a few bear in my time, and i have seen and heard of people shootn bears and never recovering them and most of them were shootn guns that were a little light in my book and a couple were shootn big ass guns to but they try to shoot them smack in the near side shoulder, i have always used 165s out of my 30-06, i just believe in enough gun, you run into a big bear 350 plus or bigger ya might want a little heavier gun and bullet, thats just my opinion of course though, but i will always stand behind shot placement.....

[Huntbear]

IF you are going to be shooting a bear with a small caliber like this... YOU HAVE TO USE THE BEST MADE BULLET AVAILABLE, FOR PENETRATION!!! 

Partitions, Barnes, some kind of solid...   These bullets will hold together much better and penetrate much better.... much less chance of blowing up a bullet on a bone.

Light jacketed bullets like Ballistic Tips, and the Sierra bullets, shoot great, and are accurate.. but do not penetrate worth a damn on thick skinned, heavy boned animals like bear and elk..  Especially at close range, and high velocities...

So, unless you want to be that guy out there, for 2 days after the shot, searching and searching for a bear you wounded....

Again, a .243 will do the job with proper bullet placement.... BULLET SELECTION IS EVERYTHING IN SMALLER CALIBERS!!!!!!

[Kowsrule30]

I've killed 7 bears with my 243..... One was a 100 gr Rem Core-Lokt.... Lung shot high and had to get it again with a heart shot.... (not the bullets fault) Another with Federal 100 gr BTSP.... Ran 50 yards and dead with a heart/lung shot.... Now my personal favorite along with most accurate in my rifle... The other 5 bear with my 243 were with a Custom Hornady Light Mag 100gr BTSP Interlock.... @ $30 or more a box now I feel they are well worth it.... 3 of the 5 dropped in their tracks the other 2 a short tracking job..... These 5 bears went from 160#-325+....... Nothing huge but bears are tough critters no matter the size.... Whatever you choose go with a 100 gr min..... And NO shoulder shots...... MOA at 100 yards is fine imo....

[bearpaw]

If you are using Barnes you can shoot right through the shoulder, probably both of them, and the bullet will still weigh close to 100 gr. 

[rynokron]

Picked up some Hornady Custom 100gr BTSP interlocks. Yup, almost $30. Oh well can't take it with you. Picked up some copper plated 00 buck for the Benelli for backup.

[inchtowntracking]

I have killed a ton of bears with 100 grain core-lokts in my .243.

well thats only 4 bears if you go by weight,cause they all weigh 500lbs

Good one.  Lol

[Todd_ID]

I've taken my fair share of bear; they die quite easily; a bad shot with a .375 H&H Magnum will let a 100# bear get away the same way as a shoulder shot with a bow or .243 will.  They are basically the size of a person: 125-400#.  You've got to think about your bullet or arrow choice like you were preparing for the zombie invasion: will this bullet do it for the zombies?  Basically anything above 85 grains in the .243 is a YES.  Bear are not invincible by any means. 

[demontang]

I would definently grab a few differnt brands and shoot them. The two 243's I shoot hate the 100gr factory ammo and both shoot 2-3" groups with it. When we backed down to the 80-95gr rounds the groups shrink to 1/2" or less. I have been using the 95gr nosler bt and 80gmx hornady. The noslers are kind of nasty on coyotes so Im not sure what they would do to a bear, and the 80 gmx I shot a deer with Im not sure how they performed seen as I lost my deer (scope was knock off) I have shot media with them and they open up very well and penetrat well. I would think the barnes and I know the federals 85gr seirras work well too. I can tell you my bear took two 225gr .338 rounds to put down, first one through the heart  next on in the center of the chest, he was dead running but when a bear runs at you, youll shot again