The first time I went elk hunting in Colorado back about '90 or '91, I was just sure that I needed a handgun for bear protection. The biggest one I owned at the time was a Model 19. I bought a couple of boxes of Winchester BLACK TALON 180 gr. loads for that purpose. I never got the opportunity to test them on bear (thankfully). I remember complaining to my Dad about having to take the 'puny' .357 into bear country. I'll always remember his reply : "It's a helluva lot better than throwing rocks at a bear ".