If you are hunting with a rifle and can't kill a bear with it, then your chances with any handgun are pretty slim.
And in all the testing I did with various handguns and assuming equal quality bullets, I would rate the 357 and the 10 mm as virtual equals, so pick the one you are most comfortable with.
Phil
I recall you have posted a pic of your wife in the cabin kitchen w a .357 holstered at her back?
180 HC in that?
Yes, that is what she, my daughter and even I carry most of the time
Its what I carry too all year round. 44 mag is too heavy in the parka pocket. I can't run the dog team up hills with a 44 mag. Little sp 101, no problem. I get charged by grumpy winter moose at least once a season. One dog, Rickus got stomped to sleep. 357 will stop that sht quick.
This season, last two shots out the barrel was in September. A finishing shot in the neck of a big bull moose. The 180 swift A-frame went clear through neck, and found against the hide.
9 days before that, shot a beaver with small game/357 load that provided camp meat for the entire moose hunt.
357 is more than just a bear protection gun, its an all season essential up here.
