This topic has been beat to death, but I'll offer my $0.02. Some of this may be taken as a bit off topic, but it relates to the op's question. I live, work, and recreate in grizzly bear country. I've killed too many bears (black and grizzly). Based upon my personal experience, the only guarantee in stopping a grizzly bear immediately in a self defense scenario is a cns shot. Other shots have worked and will work, but they aren't guaranteed to work. This does not require an uber magnum in a typical defense scenario (facing bear). It takes a bullet that will penetrate, a dead reliable platform, and a competent user. For me, big powerful rounds fired from heavy revolvers makes this task much more difficult. Big, heavy, long barreled revolvers are also a pain to carry. There are certainly folks that can shoot the big revolvers just as quick and accurately as anything, but I'm not one of them.
My experiences have shaped my preference in a sidearm. I now typically carry a semi in 10mm, but often carry just a 9mm and spray. I rarely ever carry a pistol when rifle hunting. If I were tasked to carry a revolver for bear defense on a daily basis it would be a double action 3-4 inch barrel in whatever flavor you prefer between .357 and .41 shooting hard cast or stoutly constructed fmj bullets. Whatever platform you decide practice is important. Make absolute certain that the firearm and selected load function flawlessly. I used to carry a 329 but in a very tense situation had a bullet jump the crimp and leave the revolver inoperable. After that event I tested lots of loads, and found that many were jumping their crimp at least to a small degree. Additionally, brass from any load that approached "warm" was very difficult to eject from the cylinder. I lost confidence and sold the pistol.
A good amount of "information" regarding this topic on the web is worth exactly what you pay. Some of the most opinionated have little to no experience with bears at handshake distance. Those that deal with bears on a daily basis are often much more comfortable with far less than those who have never seen a bear.
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