RE: .357 Magnum For Bear
The .357 would work at close range, but it's surely marginal..
Most any rifle round from .243 up would be a much better choice...You mentioned in another thread that you have a .243...Why not use that..??.. With well constructed 100 grain bullets it would be quite adequate for black bear over bait and would be a much better choice than the .357... The .357 is a fairly powerful handgun round, but compared to most centerfire deer caliber rifle rounds, it's a peashooter..