You might consider a revolver chambered in something like .454 Casull or .500 magnum although I know you said that wouldn't be your first choice. It does seem to fit your criteria, however.
The other thing you might consider is a pump action 12 gauge shotgun loaded with a combination of 000 buck and Federal Copper Solid slugs.
Mossberg makes a nice one with an 18 inch barrel (500A) that I like a lot. It comes with ghost ring sights for rapid target acquisition and holds 6 rounds in the tube and one in the chamber.
I don't think there's a critter in North America that could take 7 12 gauge rounds and still be too keen on doing you harm. They also run less than $350 or so. I prefer them over the Remington 870 for a number of reasons I won't detail here. I think that's something you should strongly consider given your circumstances.
I hope you find my advice useful.
My thanks for the responce. Yes, I had already determined that .30 cal and higher was the way to go. A .357 can kill a bear but at ten yards and full charge it is extremely difficult to hit the sweet spot. Not to mention the thickness of a bear skull and the steep angle when head-on makes a glancing shot extremely possible when going for the brain, and the layers of fat over muscle makes penetration difficult when going for the heart. Even a .45 is not a guaranteed stopper. I am for the most part trying to stay away from the revolver category for the simple reason that, generally speaking, the higher the calibre the greater the recoil, making follow-on shots much more difficult.
I have been looking at the Mossberg 500A recently, thank you for the suggestion, and might just go that route. Pellet spread is something I am still cogitating upon but yes the Solid Slug / 000 buck combination sounds good. I would still prefer a semi-auto carbine for the occasional longer shot and as a good trade-off between shotgun and long rifle, but you make an excellent point in your suggestion and I do indeed find your advice useful.
Spring is here and the bears are coming out of hibernation. I must needs spend even more time outdoors this year, and considering how dry it has been for the last few years and how bold and hungry the predators are becoming I am trying to prepare as best I can before we come across each other yet again.