I just wanted to comment on the .357 mag - they sell these copper bullets that look like a philips screw driver bit - they penetrate very well. A cast solid bullet penetrates well. A Swift A-frame will penetrate like a solid - the hollow point on there is a joke. I load and play with these for rifle mainly but also have a wheel gun. .38 special ammo is great for plinking, wife, kids.
I'd carry a handgun that I was comfortable with and a can of bear spray. I doubt you'd feel the bear spray burning on your skin if in a critical situation. Eyes, lungs - yes, skin, no.
So, is a 357 mag up to a grizzly bear? I dunno. The idea is to persuade the bear not to eat you - who cares if it dies? You just want to get it to go a different direction. Them things are big. Overall, I'd feel safer with a shotgun and some max load tungsten buckshot.
I'd carry a handgun that I was comfortable with and a can of bear spray. I doubt you'd feel the bear spray burning on your skin if in a critical situation. Eyes, lungs - yes, skin, no.
So, is a 357 mag up to a grizzly bear? I dunno. The idea is to persuade the bear not to eat you - who cares if it dies? You just want to get it to go a different direction. Them things are big. Overall, I'd feel safer with a shotgun and some max load tungsten buckshot.
