In general, I would advise something more powerful than 9mm for bears, too. However, in practice it has been more effective than I would have thought:

https://www.ammoland.com/2018/02/defense-against-bears-with-pistols-97-success-rate-37-incidents-by-caliber/#ixzz5sS36vLdL

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Interesting read. I wouldn't want to test the theory irl. Another interesting note from the article is carrying FMJ rounds (which I rarely do.) You would have to get some seriously lucky shots to penetrate a vital organ on a fast moving Bear before it mauls you. No doubt a magazine dump will do the job eventually, just not fast enough.

Absolutely. I am still recommending magnums for hiking in bear country, for sure.