On my side of the Mississippi (which is the east) I'll be fine with a 357 mag. In areas with bigger bears I'd bump it up to a 44 mag with a 6" barrel because you get more energy, less kick, and less noise. I'm sure you might say who cares how loud it is if a bear is charging and that is true but why not lessen the noise while bumping up the energy. I'm sure you can find a place to wear a 6" gun. Most people would lack the proficiency to handle a very large (44 or bigger)caliber with a short barrel anyway.