For several years in the 1980's I hunted elk in Colorado using a .375 H&H Mod. 70 Winchester. I wanted the capability of long range and flat trajectory, and I found it in the 235 grain Speer. That bullet is a wonderful bullet, very accurate, and of bonded construction.

While I haven't shot a black bear with it, in 1987 I shot a nice 6x6 bull elk. The range was 320 yards over open ground. The bull was quartering toward me. I placed the shot in his front right shoulder, right beside the neck. The bullet broke the shoulder, passed through the heart, lungs, and guts. In all, about 5 feet of tough bull elk. I recovered the perfectly mushroomed bullet just under the hide in front of the left ham. The core was still firmly attached to the jacket, and it weighs just under 200 grains.

You aren't going to find a black bear that dies any tougher than a bull elk. If you have experience with the Speer 235, I suggest you choose it.

Hope this helps,
Curl