You are more likely to get hit by lightning twice, before getting attacked, let alone killed, by a bear in your neck of the woods.

Look up the statistics. I like those odds....of getting hit by lightning twice....or winning the lotto before getting attacked by a black bear.

Carry bear spray, make a LOT of noise, and save your money for when you can buy a good plinking and/or carry piece.

Handguns for bears make NO sense whatsoever.

If I even remotely thought I was going to be in an area where I was threatened by a bear, I'd carry a Social Shotgun (shortest barreled Remington 870 Express I could buy) loaded with Sabo slugs and .00 buck. Make #3 a Dragons breath and that's pure entertainment! Your chances of getting off an effective shot with either (shotgun and pistol) are about the same, which is pretty close to nill-to-none. A .45ACP or 10mm is just going to piss off a bear. A sabo slug or .00 buck will drop the bear in it's tracks....assuming you can even get the shot off, which is doubtful is most cases.

Or, just be like Stam and kill the damn bear by hand, with a knife! Still, The Absolute Best Bar/Bear Story I've ever heard in my life!!!!!

Real Men don't need guns. Just a knife...and a set of massive brass balls.