Before anyone freaks out and starts saying that a 10mm is not enough gun to kill a black bear , I urge you to read this   http://razordobbsalive.com/razor-dobbs-kills-two-cape-buffalo-10mm-auto-pistol-interview . Yes , Razor Dobbs has killed not 1 but 2  cape buffalo with his 10mm . He has also

killed huge hogs, multiple deer , elk,etc... .                

 Does anyone here have any first hand experience with the 10mm vs black bear. Ammo used ? Firearm used ?

 I have 3 10mm's to choose from s&w 610, custom Fusion 1911 and gen4 glock 20.

 Im thinking a 200gn xtp hand load or hand loaded barnes bullet could be the right medicine . Or should I be looking at a cast bullet?

 This hunt will be over bait . Max shot 20-25 yards.

I look at it this way , If a arrow @40lb draw can kill a bear , a 10mm most certainly can kill a bear.

NH F&G:
Black bear may only be taken by firearms larger than .22 rimfire, shotgun loaded with a single ball, muzzleloader not less than .40 cal., bow and arrow of at least 40 lbs. draw weight or crossbow of at least 125 lbs. draw weight with a working mechanical safety and a stock no less than 25 inches in length.

How big are your black bears?

I'd shoot any black bear alive with a 10mm but I'd use different bullets for different sizes.

First and only bear I've ever shot in NH was 330lbs dressed . I took that bear over bait with my .270 . Bear didn't make it out of the bait site , he expired about 15 feet from my stand.  Typical size is 150-250lbs with some up to 400lbs+ .

combat Jack - any experience with bullet size or type on black bears?

Not in 10mm. My 400 pounder I shot with a rifle. To date I've only shot small game with 10mm and deer with 9mm.  

My hesitation is that cast bullets don't do as well as expanding on heart/lung shots. They are best for breaking through bones. Depending on where you're planning on placing it I would keep that in mind.

An author and PH who posts on various sites as JJHACK wrote that bears responded much better to 240gr JSPs than 300gr hardcast, with a sample size in the hundreds. That confirms what my uncles say, they've shot a few dozen bears at least with handguns. I'd still use cast bullets for defense but I'd lean to expanding bullets for hunting from a stand.

I may be wrong, but .10mm is really, really, really small. A tenth of a mm

Please read this http://razordobbsalive.com/razor-dobbs-kills-two-cape-buffalo-10mm-auto-pistol-interview

That was a little sarcasm, you had .10mm written not 10mm.

My first thought would be look at Buffalo Bore's offerings. I'd be hesitant to use any jacketed hollow point bullet on such a tough animal but apparently much better hunters than I have used them successfully!

But, but...metric is so much better...

Haaa you're right !! Corrected

Decimal places are important.

I forgot to add

. I will forever be known as .10mmJ

A little 10mm gun porn .

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Not bear hunting but I did most of my deer hunting with a 10mm last year.  S&W 610 6.5-inch using hand-loads; 200gr XTP pushed to 1250 fps.  Killed two deer with it.  Both were shot with high shoulder shots.  On the one deer the XTP passed through the shoulder blade and spine and then still exited.  I have shoot several deer with XTP bullets and never recovered one as they always pass through even after hitting bones.  I would be pretty comfortable hunting black bear with my S&W 610 and 200gr XTPs if I was so inclined.

Nice work on the deer mcb !! I'm a big fan of the 610 , very accurate firearm.

My uncle took a black bear in florida with a 10mm Glock 20.  He was using buffalo bore hard cast lead i believe.  double lung, dropped like a rock.  I know a lot of boys in bear country carry hard cast lead in pretty much whatever caliber they carry so cant really go wrong there.  That being said, it's carried for self defense not hunting so there might be a more effective hunting round for bears i'm unaware of.  I've personally killed about 3 different whitetail in Kansas with my Glock 20 with 180gr barnes.  They never made it more than 10 feet.

Just a thought but if you got an aftermarket 6" barrel for the G20 you could add some velocity to whatever load you choose. 

I have not killed large game with my 10MM since in the two states that I've lived in since owning it will not allow it.  However I do carry it in the woods with a 200gr WFN over a near max of Blue Dot for 1250FPS out of my Kimber.  

When I was testing them in Wet pack VS. the XTP of the same weight I would get better penetration and with the alloy of my lead I had decent expansion.  

For me I would worry more about penetration to the vitals of a bear than if my bullet expanded.

Much more blood loss with the arrow and I would expect the arrow to pass thru the bear-Will 10mm?  Probably a hard cast but IDK about the others.  Sometimmes just cause you can doesnt mean you should.  Good luck either way.