Whatever you think you can draw and shoot to hit the equivelent of a pie plate going 30 miles an hour :p Thats about what it would be like shooting a cougar or bear . I used to carry A .44 then a Short barrel 12 guage with 00buck fishing the rivers of Alaska and I got tired of the weight .

If some one said I had to pack a gun it would either be a revolver or a shot gun. The caliber should be what you can shoot well freehand and have freely accessable.
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Liberalism is a mental illness!