been guiding fer them critters for the past 15 years up here in canada and seen em shot with many different kinds of loads with many different calibers.....your best bet would be the ought six....seen many a bear taken with the ought six....trick is shot placement...saw many a hunting trip change course real quick on accouint of bad shot placement.....personally had to xcrawl through thickets tracking this bear...not good for the underpants...lol.....i say...go with the ought six...you probably feel more comfortable with that anyhow...hope this helps