the biggest I have is a .357 Magnum. That goes with me into bear country on the infrequent occasions I camp out west.
Black bears in the east are nothing but big rodents and don’t really need extreme measures.
Blacks and grizzly’s are a completely different story.
Yes. I have bear all around me here in the Virginia mountains. They always run away when I shout at them unless they see me first, then they just run. That said I still hold an extremely healthy respect as they can thrash out if startled and feeling cornered. I only know one guy ever injured by a black bear here in my area. He was going into his barn and it was in there. It swiped at him as it ran past to move the danger out of its way. So not really an attack, but I would NOT want to run into a bear of any type or size out west, or north of here.
You should consider something larger.
Tim Sundles, who owns Buffalo Bore, thinks that .454 Casull is the minimum caliber he would carry in griz country.