My biggest caliber revolver is just a 357 Magnum.

I have a 158 XTP that will clock 1340fps
or a 158 Lwc that will do 1320fps.

Most hunters go for a lung shot but it would probably take time to drop the bear.

How will either of these two bullets work on a head on charge
with a head shot, if lucky enough, to hit it?

I have heard that bear spray does not always , move the bear out of the area.

I'm too old to turn and run away.

Any advise ?

I would try and shoot him as close to the truck as possible no matter what caliber I was using;o)

I'd shoot whomever I was with in the knee cap and simply walk away.

A bullet to the brain will drop anything but needing to kill a black bear would be highly improbable unless an attack was because you were between bear and cubs.

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S&W factory revolver armorer

An Alaskan Indian lady killed one of the biggest bears ever recorded with a .22.

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S&W Accumulator

I only went bear hunting once from a tree stand. My rifle was a Devine,TX M1A loaded with 308 200 grain SP and I carried a 44 mag Ruger on my hip. The bear took 3 chest hits with the 308 and kept coming right to my tree. I finished him off with 4 44 mag rounds. This was back in the early 70's. You decide if a 357 is enough, but remember, bears can run faster than you and can climb trees.

I'd probably take a hardcast SWC if I had the choice. I have lugged a 357 with 158 soft points when around cornfields where the farmer is having nuisance bear problems.

Black bear aren't much of an issue usually, and even when I know I may encounter bear I do not feel I need to have a firearm. Much more worried about my dog tangling with a rabid animal.

Black bear false charge to scare, so you don't want to shoot a bear (assuming out-of-season etc.) just because it is coming your way. So I personally wouldn't try a head shot as you won't have that luxury nor is it a good target under the circumstances. For me, it would be stick the front sight on the chest and use double-action.

These are my opinions & practices in part based on 30+ years as a game warden and literally dealing with bear in my backyard.

And of course a 357 is not the gun of choice, just what you or I probably are likely to have at the time.

As I have posted - Good Friend Milt shot a treed Black Bear several times with a 357 before it fell. Jicarilla Apache Reservation, Dulce, NM.

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357 Magnum for black bear? No hollow points, this is a situation where you want deep penetration. A brain shot is the best bet for a quick bear kill.

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Respectfully disagree

Further away from a road is less likely to be found

If I was actually setting out to shoot a bear I'd use a 45-70, 12 gauge slug or other high powered cartridge.

That said, if all I had was a .357 magnum, the best cartridge for that task would probably be the Buffalo Bore .357 magnum, 180 grain, hard cast, SWC. It is one smokin' hot load and on Black Bear should absolutely do the trick as long as shot placement is descent.

Of the 2 choices the OP gives , I’d take the wad cutter.

Yes. Do you have a medium bore or larger centerfire rifle, or a large bore shotgun?

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Black bears are not bullet proof. I called in a 350 pound bear and my hunting partner dropped it with a single heart-lung shot using a 243 Win shooting a 95 gr SST. Bang, flop. A couple years later we called in a 250 pounder and another partner shot it with a .300 Blackout AR using a 115 gr open tip match bullet. This was a complete pass through and the bear ran about 50 yards before expiring. When not hunting I have encountered black bears hiking and they usually just turn tail and run. The rest have just stood looking, then ambled off.

I personally have encountered many black bears while camping in the state & national parks in VA, WV, MD & PA. Never felt threatened and never had a firearm with me.

If you really feel the need, carry a REM 870 or Moss 500 18” 12 ga with 1 oz slugs.

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2B1ASK1

That's a huge misconception.
Most black bear attacks are from males and you are food.
IIRC it's around 80% from males

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Paul
S&WCA #2726

Suggest you focus on penetration. The SWC would probably go deeper than the XTP.
Those big bear spray cannisters actually can help. Just as with your side arm a good, fast access spray holster is crucial.
For example, I use UDAP brand spray and their hard molded holster.

#GGH Griz Guard Holster (Holster Only) (fits 2" canisters 225g & 260g): UDAP Pepper Power

I have been charged by a Black Bear.

He got hit by a pick up truck and tore off the oil pan. Totaled the truck {55 or 60 mph} {truck was one week old} 575 pound bear, It was walking and then it would drag some. I tracked him, when he came out at me he was blowing and charging. I used my 444 Marlin with 265 grain Hornady flat point. I didn't carry a back up gun. The game warden that was with me only had a 357, That is why I got a call to come with a rifle and track. It was an interesting day.

I have had mother and cubs in my yard. I heard a strange drumming sound outside the house so went and looked. Two cubs were jumping up and down on the bottom of a canoe I had turned over just outside. Moma was about 10 feet from the door and she ran and left the cubs. They went up a tree in my yard, She just waited out on the road for them to come down. {I went back in the house} I've never really had any problems with Black Bears, even when the acorns are falling and they are in my yard feeding. I did have a big bear slap the ground and wolf at me tho.....it was dark and I hadn't seen him. There were 5 of them and I just told them to be gone when I came out in the morning.....they complied.

I've watched 2 cubs take turns climbing a 6 or 8 foot spruce tree to slide down , scratching their bellies. They are comic to watch. No idea where moma was, never saw her. I didn't get too close or hang around.

Black bears skulls aren't hard to penetrate. I've seen a number of bears dropped with a 22WMR shot to the head. They weren't charging anyone, but shot out of trees by bear hunters. Your 357 magnum will do just fine.

Sure do. That said, I do use a M65, 3" bbl. with the Buffalo Bore 180 grain HCSWC (.357) when in the woods. It's a great backup and because the K frame is not hard to carry it is always with me. Ideal? Nope - but would get the job done and like I said, it's always with me in the woods.

Before I got my .44 I used to carry .357 as my “oh ****” sidearm while hunting

You want Buffalo Bore 180gr hard cast.

chased a black bear away with a shotgun loaded with bean bag rounds. Most are more scared of you or are more interested in rummaging around in the trash.

Hunting and killing animals are two different things.

22s and 38s have finished a lot of animals. The biggest wild boar I took was with a 22 when I found it stuck on a barb wire fence.

We ran into a black bear on the Oregon coast last year and he ran from us.

Aim is going to be important. A missed shot might make the bear mad.

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S&WHF #946
S&WCA #3824

Black bears are usually more afraid of you or your house dog than you are of them. On the advice of Canadian guides, the bears I've killed I shot in the shoulders to immobilize them, then finished with another shot.

That may have been your experience but I had a totally different one.

I got off the highway in PA at a truck stop to get some coffee and a snack. There is a side road near the stop. A tractor trailer was coming down the back road. Mom and 2 cubs were crossing but one of the cubs froze in the lights. I saw mom rear up and let out a huge roar then charge the moving truck. That mom actually was willing to take on a huge tractor trailer to protect her cub.

Back to the question. Im not sure if you're asking about hunting a bear or protecting yourself from a bear attack. If you're talking about protection a hard cast SWC or FMJ-FN bullet would be best. Shoot right into the snout because the brain is directly behind the snout. Shoot until it drops and hopefully your aim it true that that happens before you run out of ammo.

Remember, hit the snout when the bear is charging.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

Apparently Paul believes a bear would fight more for a bag of doughnuts than its cubs.

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S&W factory revolver armorer

I think op is thinking about personal protection not hunting.A 357 with hardcast or jacketed sp should work close range headshot.Close range you won't get many shots before he is slobbering on you.Hunting is a different story.

This question seems to come around every so often. Realistically a charging bear wouldn’t notice a difference between 600 ft lbs of energy and 900 lbs of energy. For example most elk hunters think that 2000 fl lbs of energy at point of impact is a good rule of thumb. To get that at 200 yards a 30-06 will be pushing 2900 ft lbs flow to the muzzle and even a 30-06 is not the best choice for a large charging bear.
Couple the energy fact with the probably that you will ever face a charging bear…well you get the idea. I have come a across numerous bears at close range archery hunting and have never had one charge or threaten me. I’ve had them curiously start to climb up to my tree stand, approach with a cub and one time walked on a game trail within 10 feet of me. I said “boo” to that one and it ran back down the hill a** over tea kettle.
Sooooo, yes a 357 would be as good as a 41 or 44, especially if you shoot it well, but bear spray would probably be better. On the other hand if you want a 44 mag., this is the perfect excuse to present to your spouse. ������

I knew an old timer who killed a Bengal Tiger with a .45 during WWII. It jumped him out on the OP. He didn't show us young boys all his scars, but his son was our buddy and he had seen most of them.
My neighbor took on a big old male black bear with a garden rake to get it to let go of her goat. She's a tough old grandma.
Sometimes you have to go with what you have at hand.

I used to bear hunt in the North Maine woods about every year. The State of Maine wildlife folks have some strict laws about caliber of back up guns. When my outfitter found out that the three inch model 629 I was carrying was .44 magnum he stopped me from carrying it because the .44 magnum is apparently legal for hunting bears and I would be carrying a "bear gun", loaded when it was not permitted. That would incur a citation and confiscation of the firearm. I checked with the guides who worked the site and found that they carried about an even mixture of .45acp and .357 magnum. I switched to a 686 from then on.

these days , with conceal carry permits I think that a 3 inch 44 would fit the non hunting class and actually Because it is carried as such would not be considered as being used to hunt.

A model 69 2 3/4 inch would make a perfect bow hunter defense carry. If you were carrying it as such and had a permit, I doubt any problem would be incurred. It should be obvious that it was a conceal carry gun and not a hunting gun. Sometimes I carry one in the woods for just this reason. Obviously NOT a hunting gun.

Comment deleted because I was wrong.

I think I'd opt for the hard cast SWC .... if I could choose at the time.
The XTP is a good bullet, but I'd shy away from it as expansion trades penetration off for terminal performance.
A bear has a skull thicker than a politician. Either may deflect, but the hard cast SWC has a better chance of goin' home.

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it just needs more voltage

I’d go with the SWC or JSP and leave the HPs at home. That’s just my opinion. I would go for penetration.

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dd884
JMHO-YMMV

Doesn't matter what you shoot it with, what matters is where you hit it. You're taking a chance shooting any animal that weighs 2X to 5X more than you do and expecting to stop it unless you can hit it in the head or in the spine. Kill it outright or paralyze it, otherwise hope you can put something between you and it that will protect you. Preferably, a lot of distance.

You might hit the bear and it will run away, but just as likely will charge and take you with him.

I was wrong disregard my post

I'm not quite sure what to say.

Some of us live and recreate in actual bear & lion country.
I've had close encounters with both.

I was wrong on this one, post delete.

The guy that has never seen a bear in the wild dismisses the experiences of someone that has had close encounters with apex predators as an anecdote.
I'm not sure what to say.

In our corner of the country, we have had people killed by these encounters.

Even handgun hating Maryland officials have found the need to allow bow hunters in the mountainous western region of the state to carry a handgun while archery hunting - and, really remarkably, even without a MD wear and carry permit.

But it seems to have escaped them that the exploding bear population has bears migrating east, out of the mountains, into farm country and even suburbs.

ETA: When I carry a handgun while hunting, I carry either a 3" 357 K frame or Colt's King Cobra. I'm agnostic when it comes to ammo, though I usually just stick with the 38spl +P personal defense loads that are in the gun. Occasionally I'll swap to BB hard cast 38spl +P.

Update of Pistol Defenses Against Bears 123 Cases, 98% Effective - AmmoLand Shooting Sports News

Perhaps where you are from, but in my Home state Black Bears get pretty big.

Attached Images

	2021 PA Bear season stats from PA Game Commission .jpg (70.6 KB, 39 views)
	2023-03-22 - 2022 PA Black Bear Season.01.jpg (74.1 KB, 31 views)
	2023-03-22 - 2022 PA Black Bear Season.02 .jpg (43.2 KB, 27 views)
	2023-03-22 - 2022 PA Black Bear Season.03.jpg (79.6 KB, 26 views)

I live in a Minneapolis suburb. I’ve had 1 bear encounter and 2 with cougars.

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Hi When were you hunting bear in Maine. I was bear hunting 2017 with my wife and we both carried 44 mags, 4", 5" as backups.. I saw nothing in the game laws to say I could not carry a " Bear" gun when I was hunting Bear. So I do not understand what you are talking about. Maybe the laws have changed, I do not know. Primary was a 30-06 for both of us. All of my Bear in Canada, Mi, Pa, Maine have been taken with the 30-06, one shot to the Heart. Be Safe

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I BACK OUR BLUE

Stop digging. Just stop.

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Buffalo Bore has an Auto Rim 225gr full wadcutter load that makes 1125 fps out of 4 inch barrel.

I've always thought those loaded in my 625 JM would be a good bear gun.

Those big flat point hard cast wadcutters should be effective on anything smaller than Gizzly.

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