You have some good info in here several places.I am not a fan of the 40 and think it is on the light side,but I understand you have it,are comfortable with it and the shot will be measured in feet.Any gun if a bear comes in your tent to chew on you will be better than nothing.
Having sifted through the thread here are some things that stand out,
"Don't go with light bullets on a bear, they are more compact than an equal size deer & you will need penetration to make them stop wiggling"
"If you shoot a bear with any load from the .40, and it's not a CNS hit. You will see it run of a very long way."
"Choose the tool that stacks the deck in your favor. Once you pull the trigger the reality of what you just did will smack you in the face "
"The man is familar with the handgun that he has, no need to change."
"How long to expire is dependent on bullet placement that is a constant no matter the weapon rifle or handgun"
"With that caliber, he would be MUCH better off with a big, wide, heavy Cast Bullet at around 1000fps."
"Shot placement is critical regardless of the number of legs or the stamp on the side of the slide/barrel. Good hits are the biggest deciding factor."
I have a good bit of experience with black bears,maybe not the level of some others but I get your concern.Chances are in your tent you will have been grabbed or bitten before you know it and I am pretty sure it will be point blank shooting.The biggest factor will be your reaction to the events.If you can keep it together to put a few in his/her noggin you may be hurt but the threat will be over.Good luck and may this post just be a what if scenario.
