This is story needed a little input. My cousin and I are the same age and grew up our whole lives around each other. Our lives have been one type of competition or another, so when I mentioned my hunting rifle was a Winchester Model 70 in .243, and could easily be used for big game and I got the..it’s a women caliber! A real hunter would use .30 caliber on up, ETC. The egos were flaring so my question is…
I have spoken to many a old timers and one from Alaska that told me everything is flown in by small plane, and weight is a big issue and for that reason, many locals hunt with .222-.243 for most of everything, all the way up to moose! Why? because it is cheap. He also claimed the poachers used .22’s on the bears because they were quiet. I have never gone big game hunting. does a hunter truly need really need a .30-06 and up for a big game, or is it just beer ego talk?
So to bring it to realistic situation, would you hunt bear with a .243 or is a .243 enough for any Big Game?
Steve in NorCal
I own a .243 and have used it on black bear, but if you can follow up with a second shot for Big Game then your fine. WTS a 243 as a woman’s gun? I am just tired of all this biased ignorance among a lot of macho hunters. Although, I don’t think 243 would be big enough to take it down good and clean. I would lean/suggest a larger caliber than 243, but I think it may work if you’re a good shot.
Edit: I can understand your situation man. I hope all pans out for you.
It depends on the bullet, barnes ttsx 100gr all copper nylon tipped is best choice. 243 is enough to take bear if shot properly. Next time this conversation happens again and him another beer, then another, and another.. his BS will get so thick he’ll wake up the next day and re-think any future hunting debates.
A win model 70 is a top notch rifle. A .243 will handle 200lb bears fine and you shouldn’t have a problem with a .243 it all comes down to shot placement. If you feel you can accurately put rounds down range with it then go with your .243. lets face it whats more likely to bring down a bear one well placed .243 to the head or chest or a gut shot with a .30-06 that you never fired.
As mentioned it’s all about shot placement. – Back in the day, my granddad use to shoot whitetailed deer and bring them down with one shot – from a 22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire. States now have laws regarding the minimum caliber that may be used for big game hunting; it’s usually 25 caliber.
If you’re a good shot with a 243 and the state has no laws forbidding its use for bear hunting, then by all means use it. On the other hand, maybe you can find yourself a nice 25-06 on the used rack that someone traded-in. That would sort of split the difference.