going bear hunting
 

i am going to go bear hunting in arkansas i wanted to know if a .243 would take down a bear and if so what grain bullet should i use

A bear is a much stockier critter than a deer. Most guides prefer big and fat. Actually;over bait, 12 gauge slugs are recommended by many. You really want to be able to crush bone (most notably the shoulders, preferably both) for an instant anchor. They tend to bleed very little as the fat chokes off the wounds very quickly.

Not for me...

have a .30-30? .308?

depending on the terrain etc...size of bears, you may want much more gun...30-06, 300mag, 7mm,

I would go with a bigger gun, you don't want to track an angry wounded bear and be underpowered.

if i use a 30-30 wat grain bullet should i use

Personaly if you hit him behind the sholder a .243 is big enough and black bear arent to dence. Go with the heaviest bullit avaliable and somthing that is bonded. With a 30-06 I know they wont go anywhere if hit right. Got some pics of bear @ www.publiclandforthepoorman.com

243 should do the job.

150 or 170 grain is pretty standard, Either one will work. 170 may be alittle better. I shoot 150 out of mine when I carry it for deer.
-Jake

I would not hesitate to use a .243 with either 85gr TSX or 100gr Partitions if it was the only rifle I had. If you have other options are could get another rifle a Marlin 1895G in 45-70 would be perfect.

I have three bear hunts scheduled for this year and every one will include my 300WSM with 180 grain bullets.