Affordable bolt action

[buffybr]

That's because you misread my post. I never claimed the .243 was better for black bear than 6.5 Manbun. Reread my post. I said that I thought 6.5 CM is on the small side for black bears - I stand by that. I do think that .243 is a good choice for Whitetail, not black bear. To be clear, I think a 6.5 CM is a better (albeit poor) choice for black bear than a .243.

You wrote six paragraphs arguing against a point I never made.

As far as .45 ACP and .44 magnum, the only .45 ACPs were pistols carried by hunters as backup. Not one was chosen as a primary weapon, and I know at least one camp that will not allow hunters to use .45 ACP as their primary weapon.

I have seen .44 magnum out of both handguns and rifles selected as the primary choice. I myself have gone in with nothing but a .44 magnum revolver. For black bear at close range, I believe .44 magnum is a better choice than 6.5 Creedmoor because it makes a bigger hole.

Yeah sometime I can get a little wordy. Cabin fever is setting in and it's not even officially winter yet.

Your original post stated "I think its [6.5 CM] on the small side for black bear and larger. For whitetail I like .243 and 7mm-08 better." Yes I know black bears can weigh over 500 pounds, but I believe most shot are in the 200 pound range, so I read your second sentence as meaning that whitetails were in the "larger" category.

I heard once that Colorado no longer allows bears to be hunted with a .45acp because it is not powerful enough. It's all about bullet placement. A bear shot in the foot with a .460 Weatherby will not be killed, but a .45 acp bullet put tight behind his shoulder into his lungs will kill him within 30 yards.

That's another reason that I like it here in Montana. We have NO caliber restrictions for hunting big game animals. You could legally hunt an elk or moose with a .22 LR if you wanted to. Not that I'd want to.

And just to keep our discussion interesting...
"For black bear at close range, I believe .44 magnum is a better choice than 6.5 Creedmoor because it makes a bigger hole."

A .44 magnum bullet will make a bigger hole through the skin of an animal than a 6.5 CM bullet, but the more than double energy of the 6.5 CM bullet will have much greater hydraulic shock and create a much larger internal wound cavity and tissue destruction. Try both at the same distance on gallon milk jugs filled with water.

 

[CubSlayer]

I do suspect that 6.5 Manbun kills better than .44 magnum, but one of the main reasons I moved up to .338 Federal was the bleeding. And hey, if your whitetails are normally in the 200 lb range, I want to know where you hunt. Such a whitetail would not be a "record book" here, but it would definitely get some attention.

We can't use rimfire for bear or deer, but any centerfire (.223 included) is legal. For shotguns, only a single slug is allowed for bear.

My daughter just killed a bear with a .243 this fall. As I expected, it made a fine kill but no blood trail at all. Next year she's using a .308 and she'll be in the woods alone.

 

[buffybr]

Congrats to your daughter on her bear.

A thick outer layer of fat on a bear can often plug a small bullet entrance hole.

 

[CubSlayer]

Thanks. Yes, having tracked over a dozen bears, that skill served us well. No blood, but my "Where would I go if I were a bear?" skills landed him shortly thereafter - and we had no death moan. Thankfully, it was only 4:30pm.

Her first ever, so its becoming a rug at the usual great expense.