If I am only carrying a handgun on a hike, it is my Mag Na Ported .44 mag. S&W Mountain Gun with the slender 4" barrel. It usually resides in a Guides Choice chest holster by Diamond D in Wasilla, Alaska. Lots of big grizzly/brownies and black bears where we are and they often come into town in spring feasting on moose calves and they cruise our trails like they own them.
A big wide flat nosed hard cast of 280 to 300 grains is all I can shoot fairy quick double action at 25 yards with acceptable accuracy. Most of the time 30' is more realistic and about as far away as Fish & Game tolerates bears being shot in self defense.
I picked up a long slide Dan Wesson Bruin 10mm awhile back and have some hard cast 220 grain loads for it and can shoot it faster then my Mountain gun and the Wilson Combat mags hold 9 rounds and one in the pipe. I have many years of 1911 Govt. Mod. shooting so the Bruin is easy to adjust to for me. It also has a chest and hip holster.
But for now I trust the much more powerful .44 mag. then the 10mm, and doubt the extra rounds of 10mm would get me out of anything 6 rounds of .44 mag. can't handle.
If I lived state side a 10mm Glock 20 with a 5" KKM barrel would get the nod.
I much prefer my customized Marlin 45-70 stuffed with 400 grain bonded bullets.
