When it comes to bears, .357 is a placebo. Pick something comfortable to shoot in the 158-160 grain range and be done with it. You will either need it or you won't. If you need it, it will either work or it won't.
Frankly, her being unwilling to carry a single action shows that having her way is more important and taken more seriously than the perceived problem or the perceived outcome. Ether that or you are coddling her foolishness which is foolishness of your own. Consider giving her good bear spray, you pack your single action, and *work as a team*. It's what I did with one of my friends who is afraid of guns. I taught her to go first and if something happened, drop to a knee low to my left out of the line of fire, prep the bear spray / use if in range and the need isn't going away, and above all else **do not touch me.**
Tom
If she ever shot a .357 FA 97, she may change her mind. It's not a big gun, but the way it's set up, the grip design, excellent trigger, makes it easy to shoot. And 180 gr. bear loads aren't that intimidating with this one. It's built like a bank vault and accurate. Of course you'll need a higher front sight with heavy bullets. Tell the folks at FA what you're shooting and they'll let you know the right height. Swapping is easy, just need an Allen wrench.
DF
![[Linked Image]](https://i.imgur.com/sPOp00t.jpg)
