Put the .357 back in the safe and use a decent caliber you owe it to the bear rather than to use something that is "nearly" a deer caliber at best.
Please list with detail the experiences you've had with the .357 mag out of a rifle being inadequate.
Pretty sure between my brother and I, plus both our daughters, we haven't caught a bullet yet in whitetails.
The OP is asking about using it on bears in PA. There's very little chance at a long shot. We really don't have spot and stalk opportunities for bears. Though we can't hunt over bait, the shot ranges are about the same.
My son's bear was shot at 10-15 yards from him while he was still hunting.
