I just looked through Cabela's 2006 Shooting/Reloading catalog and saw nothing in factory. Hornady makes a 105 grain A-max for reloading but I don't know anything about them and they almost look like a long range speciality bullet that might not do very well close in on a bear.
cwlongshot is correct with the lung shot and I'd agree with a good quality 90 gr or heavier hunting bullet no problem. But...to play devils advocate and tell a tale while doing so let me tell you about 4 bears we hit with 30-06's. You might conclude it was the bullet and I tend to agree since I am switching to 220 gr Sierra Game King although I like what I see about the Barnes Triple Shock and may take a few game with them also the next few years.
The first bear was a perfect broadside shot at 35 yds using a factory Nosler 180 gr partition bullet. It hit a rib going in and for some reason the back half (partition) deflected 90 degrees and ended up in the neck where I found it when I skinned it. The front half of the partition did what it was suppose to do, peel back and send secondary shrapnel through the lungs ending up on the other side of the chest wall, as did the rib bone I had hit. The bear went 10 yards.
I called Nosler to complain and they stated humbly that they had a few calls with the same complaint. I didn't give up on Nosler, just decided I needed to roll my own and use a 200 grain Nosler Partition and this is where the second bear comes into play. I walked quietly up on a 200 pound bear in my bait station and when he looked at at me through the brush I sent the 200 gr partition (pumped to max powder load per Nosler manual) along side his face into the neck and down into his left lung. He jumped and rolled and tossed like a jackrabbit stung with birdshot and took off just as fast. There was no 2nd shot to even consider it all happened so fast. He ran 75 yards.
Jackrabbit Bear. He scared the heck out of me!!
While hunting bear on the Grand Portage Indian Res the game warden approached us with a dilemma. The tribal council had voted any nusiance bears live trapped in the village were no longer to be released but simply shot to thin down the over abundance of bears in the village. Being good stewards we told him we would take the two bears (each slightly over 200 lbs) off his hands and skin and eat them. But we would like to take a video of the execution as he released them from the live traps. He agreed.
We set up for "Skeet Black Bear" and told him to "pull" the gate open. I shot the first bear with a solid hit into the
shoulder/lung with a 200 grain Nosler Partition and made him stumble but not fall. He took off running. A 2nd shot from me into his powerplant caused him to drop. My brother-in-law seeing the pounding the 1st bear took did not even let the 2nd bear get his foot on the ground, shooting it in the neck (again with Nosler 200 gr Partitions) as it exited the trap. It took off like a rabbit and I had to shoot it again since my brother-in-law was stunned and couldn't get a second shot off.
I don't want to sound like I'm bad mouthing Nosler Partition's because they have done fine on "most" of the game I have taken. But I'm going to give Sierra and maybe Barnes a chance to show their product to me. Theres probably many out there who have never had the problems I have had...but what I have stated is true and I have the video of the "Skeet Black Bear".
rangerover you've taken twice the deer I have and if Federal is using a Barnes bullet it might be better to stick with a proven bullet for the .243 and your daughter. I guess I'd stay away from Nosler Partition esp in the .243 and regardless what bullet you use keep that 375 H&H handi for a followup shot if you can get it. Ol' blackie can take one heck of a pounding!
