Vance,

I was kidding... I can't afford the dang thing but if you pulled one out your friends would sure be impressed huh?

My "bear hunting" handgun is a S&W 500 with 4" barrel and the two compensators but I bet I'd carry my 10mm Glock Model 20 more often because it's just soooo much lighter and in a Bianchi shoulder holster it's easy to forget it's even there.

I wouldn't consider the Glock a brown bear hunting handgun but for bear protection it would likely be there when/if you needed it and 15 rounds of Double Tap bear loads would be some pretty potent medicine.

To be honest with you I just finished reading "Alaska Bear Tales" a book written by Larry Kanuit I'm not sure that even a 500S&W revolver would be enough gun for a wounded brownie. I think I'd be pretty happy to have someone right there with me with a sho nuff Dangerous Game Rifle.

If your first shot doesn't kill a brown bear it appears that you might have your hands full of a huge and lightning quick "big and nasty" with a SERIOUS attitude, and getting chewed on would be a likely outcome.

I've been bluff charged by a 300+/- pound black bear and I can tell you that she moved so fast that I just barely had time to get my rifle on her and unless you're eon's faster than I am you wouldn't have a chance of even getting one round in her from a handgun much less the several you would likely need.

As the old bear hunters say... Be sure to file that front sight off if you intend to use a handgun for grizzly...

Don't get me wrong... I'm hankerin' to try one on for size with a handgun but I fully intend to have some SERIOUS bear medicine along with me as well.

I'm thinking that a proper bear stomper would be a 375H&H when the chips are down and that one last shot would be all you get before you get some free plastic surgery and a looooong stay in a hospital (if you're lucky).

Of course you intend to hunt blackies (if I read right) but if you're going to be around many brown bears it might not hurt to pad your bets.

$bob$