I first started hunting bear with an .06, and I almost exclusively shot 165gr Nosler Partitions.
These guys are correct that most any jacketed bullet will do the job on bear coming out of a sufficient caliber (energy coefficient) and placed in the boiler room. With that said, however, when you don't hit a perfect shot, certain characteristics can really save your bacon: Weight=Heavy; Penetration instead of Expansion.
Bear have thick fur, though skin, lots of fat, and dense bone. You need a bullet that can penetrate all of that and still do enough damage internally to end the game. And while a Powerpoint or Accutip might do that in the soft tissues around the lungs (behind the shoulder), a partition (or similar bullet) will do its job regardless - for instance if you aim too far forward and crush a shoulder, or too high and smack a spine.
Just my .02
RW
