I think you guys missed the key point of this post. "This will be my first bear hunt" says it all. NO!!! That .270 will not be big enough! Too many hunters fall apart on their first bear and that makes their shooting unpredictable. Or I should say, predicatable! Most blow the shot and the result is a wounded bear that must be tracked and often its either not found at all or found the next day and the meats gone bad. That bullet must expand but still hold together and pass through both lungs and exit low for a chance of a decent blood trail. And given the amount of fat on a fall bear, you might get a 100 or 150 yd blood trail max before the wound coagulates and you lose the trail completely. I'm not blowing smoke here about this--I've had to track way too many bears for my hunters and I've had ample opportunity to see even seasoned hunters blow it. Bears are not deer. They're one of the toughest animals to put down--almost as tough as a hog. Go larger caliber and leave the 270 in the cabinet.