Hi selwaytom,

I'm assuming your hunting blackie's.....if it's over bait. The gun is more than enough for black bear in any factory rendition. (Actually for the average black bear you'd probably be better off using a "lighter expanding bullet" in .454 factory loads. You do not need the extra penetration of the hard cast and the expansion of a soft point might provide some extra wound trauma. But there is no reason not to use a good hard cast like LBT's if you'd like.) The .454 can be expected to be effective on black bear to the "range which you can precisely place your shot in the kill zone". In other words......your marksmanship....(and the cartridge's trajectory).....are going to be the limiting factor. Not the ability of the cartridge to deliver a mortal blow, (it has enough energy to kill to the extent of your ability)!

Good luck with your endeavor!

Dave