Briar,

I know I went through that same line of thought...can I make the shot under pressure? Do I want to "risk" not shooting the animal, or making a poor shot, due to distance, uncertainty, etc?

So I kept shooting my pistols more...and more...and more. Another thing that helped me was shooting steel targets at the range - 6 or 8 inch plate, varying distances. Boom, clang...dead deer/hog/in-your-case bear. It sounds like you're there as far as proficiency, and the gun and load is more than capable. I say go for it.

I guess I'm still an equal opportunity hunter, as I hunted this year with bow, muzzleloader, rifle, and handgun. But the handguns were carried every time when it was legal, and on 90% of my hunts as the primary weapon. And all 9 of my big game animals were taken with a handgun this year.

Take the plunge.