So are you guys saying that I should not take my Muzzle Loader on a black bear hunt if I get to go next spring?? If I do get to go, it will be my first hunt for bears, but are you saying that I will "blow it" simply because its my first hunt!!!! It doesn't matter whether a bear is wounded with a .270 or a .35 Remington. Either way, there is a wounded bear and the situation is the same. A caliber with less energy, and which has less quality bullets available to completely penetrate the animal will make no diffrence in that situation!!! That failsafe from a .270 will penetrate just about anything it encounters, its one of the toughest bullets available!! The .35 Rem can only shoot soft point bullets that would most likely fargment before exiting the other side of the bear. I still stand by what I said, I would take the .270 over the other 3 calibers mentioned!!