"... just no comparrison hand gun to 5.56"

Depends on what hand gun. For defense against black bears I'd pick a .41, .44, or .454 mag over a .223. I'd think what you would want would be penetration and I have my doubts as to whether a bullet from the .223 would hold together long enough to keep your head out of Yogi's mouth.

An interesting but mostly academic question though, since bear attacks are right up there with alien abductions on my list of things to worry about. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Regards, Vince