Is a .357 magnum gonna have to power to kill a grizzly bear?!

No - but it is better than nothing.

I am a sucessful Alaskan brown bear hunter. Lived on Kodiak Island for many years - home to the biggest ones. Been hunting in Alaskan grizzly country since 1982.

With a brown bear the slug needs to get past the hair, hide, fat + muscle layers so it can break bones and damage vital organs. From time to time on Kodiak it's not unusual to hear about guys finding 44mag slugs in a bear that have healed over. But these are big trophy bears we are talking about.

'Normally' any bear will hit the ground running at the first scent or sight of a human. All you see is it's big ol' butt. It's the old, sick, thin bears with the rib cage showing - a hungry bear that is down on it's luck that will be a problem. (unless you are unlucky to get between a mom in prime condition and her cubs). On a sick or injured bear you won't have the big fat layer or muscle.

The problem with killing a bear - even if you totally obliterate the heart - the muscles still have enough oxygen to operate for almost a full minute! It can run almost a 1/4 mile at you, or, beat on you the whole time. This is why it is so important to choose a caliber than can break bones and prevent it from moving much.

When shooting a bear - you do not fire and then pause to see what the shot did. You keep on shooting until the thing stops moving.

Most guys like you and I - we can put the first round from a big pistol like a 454 or 500 S&W in the black at 50yds - but the recoil and pain of shooting is going to make the next 4 or 5 rounds fly wild. This is why most Alaskans go with the 480 Ruger........ it doesn't have the power of the 454 or 500, but, it is 2.5x more powerful than a 44mag - and people can control it. With a 480 Ruger or equal powered pistol you can put all 6 rounds in the black. And it will probably take all six or more to disable a bear so it cannot hurt you any more.

357Mag is perfect for black bear. Lots of folks here use them and have gotten one shot clean kills on black bears. In the last 10 years in Alaska - the majority of bear encounters where people were mauled or killed - most have been from black bears.

Upside to having a 357 - they make speed loaders for nearly all the models. You can get off a quick 6rds, do a fast reload, and get off another 6 or more. All the big revolvers - 460, 480, 500, 454 - they don't make them. With practice you can count on a 357mag to offer protection - but - you certainly do not want to act like you are 10 feet tall and bullet proof. And it needs to have at least a 6" barrel - anything smaller and you dramatically kill the pistols power.

Although a 44 is better - if you are going to into a big magnum revolver - you might as well go all the way. Although Ruger discontinued the 480 a few years ago - lots and lots of Alaskans have sold their hard to handle 500, 454 and 460's for the more managable 480 Ruger. Used - they sell for $750+ here now.

You have plenty of time between now and hunting season. Try to get some trigger time on these big revolvers before making a decision. And keep in mind - you will have to drop some serious $$ on a good, high quality holster. You buy a 'one size fits none' Uncle Mikes - good chance that pistol it going to be left back at camp or in your truck when you need it. A good Galco Kodiak holster, or, one made by Galco, Bianchi, DeSantis etc goes a long way to carry a big revolver comfortably and assuring it is where it should be when you need it.

Hope this helps

Honestly, it depends. From a HUNTING standpoint, the .357mag out of a Ruger Super Redhawk is plenty powerful. But on the other side, from a SELF DEFENSE standpoint, the .357mag will require a WELL placed shot to stop a charging bear.

When it comes to a defense weapon, I want something with more stopping power than the .357mag.

Personally, my "bear defense weapon" is a Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan. I have one in both .44mag and .454mag, just for that purpose.

I know a thing or two about a thing or two....

Not before the grizzly bear has enough time to cover 100 yards and kill you very dead. Even a .44 Magnum isn't really up to the job of stopping a charging grizzly.

A lot of people seem to have this crazy idea that when something gets shot, it drops instantly and is no longer a threat. That's not usually how things work. Especially not with handguns, even with well placed shots.

Ruger .357 is a fine choice for sure. How ever Bear spray is 98% effective while a 357 only about 60% effective. I'd say go for the Ruger GP100 (4 to 5") or Ruger Blackhawk revolver (6.5" barrel), but for bears, use bear spray.

A 357 is considered the very minimum, if you can afford it go for something bigger, Although abusive on the hand, a 454 is a good choice. But I'd carry at least a 44 mag

Definitely not enough gun.

Why not rely on your primary hunting rifle in case you have an unexpected Bear encounter ?

If your hunting in bear country use a 12 gauge and slugs.