Your .41 or .44 are good for a handgun.I suggested a Ruger SA because they are strong enough for heavy loads,reliable,and the .45s have the smaller aluminum grip frame.Big bore power factor wise,a SA rides easier,but you can prefer what you prefer,no heartburn.
Here is the crux of my case .Hunting,I killed a cow elk once with my .44.It was a neck spine smashing shot,instant kill.I used a 240 grain soft point jacketed.The slug did not penetrated past the spine.That full house .44 penetrated 1/2 a cow elk's neck and stopped.
As another gentleman pointed out,self defense bear shooting is different than shooting a bear from a hide over bait,or treed by hounds.It is a little more dynamic.On another occasion,I used the head of a hog I found at an informal dump site to conduct some .44 mag JSP softpoints penetration tests,It wasn't very thick,less than 6 inches.I leaned it against some plywood and burned a wheel into that hog's forehead.All of the slugs were in a pile at the base of the plywood.Not one entered the plywood.A soft point doesn't make it.
I want a round capable of smashing through all the bone mass where the shoulders and spine come together.Through the upper foreleg bone ,shoulder blades,spine,meat ,and sinew.All of the cool cauliflowered out expanded bullets look like pure failure to me.I want a handgun bullet on a bear to work like an African solid on elephant or buffalo.Penetrate and break things.
Now,I don't have all that much experience at bear shooting, (1)but I would bet heavy that gentlemen like Ross Seifred and Elmer Kieth would support what I am saying.
Is the point shooting a bear with what you prefer to carry,or carrying what you prefer to shoot a bear with?
