Factory .243 ammo for bear

[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