Shotguns for Bear Defense: A 12 ga pump or semi-auto shotgun loaded with rifled slugs (Brenneke) is probably the best all around choice for stopping a charging bear. Most people can develop the necessary skill to effectively fire a 12 ga shotgun with one day of instruction and practice. A dedicated, shorter barrelled 'slug gun' with simple quick point type sights is preferable to a longer barrelled 'duck hunting' shotgun. A reasonable quality shotgun is generally several hundred dollars cheaper than a high-powered rifle, and several brands of 'marine' models are available that require less rust-preventative care in the field.

Rifles for Bear Defense:A semi-auto rifle of adequate stopping power is also a viable option for bear protection, and is the most logical choice if you are also hunting. Many hunters prefer a bolt action rifle for hunting, but without a lot of practice few people can operate a bolt action rifle fast enough to have much chance of getting off a second shot at a charging brown bear. Many rifle calibers that are excellent hunting rounds for North American big game are just not powerful enough to stop a charging bear. It's true that Brown Bears have been killed with a .22 LR, but remember, if you wound the bear without stopping it, though it may eventually die, you won't be around to see it because it will rip you into little pieces. Good caliber options are heavy loads in the .30-06, .308 family, or magnum calibers such as .300 Win Mag, .338 Win Mag, and the Kodiak deer hunter's choice, the .375 H&H Mag with a 1x5 power scope kept wide open!

Handguns for Bear Defense:Unless you are already skilled in handling a revolver or semi-auto pistol, a handgun is probably not the best choice for defense against a charging brown bear. It takes a fair amount of handgun marksmanship training (and safe handgun handling training) to become competent with a handgun, including firing a thousand rounds or more through a specific handgun to develop the reflexive muscle memory and mental conditioning necessary to hit the vital instant kill zone of a charging bear.
Handguns are more convenient to carry and with proper skill development, an effective option for stopping an attacking bear, provided an adequate caliber is selected. The bare minimum revolver cartridge is the .357 Magnum, but either the .41 Magnum or .44 Magnum are far better choices. The new .460 S&W and .500 S&W (and similar class 'custom' calibers) are also excellent choices from a stopping power standpoint, but if you use a handy, short barrelled revolver these are both punishing rounds to fire, and rapid repeat fire is difficult at best. A longer-barrelled, heavier handgun in this caliber will be far easier to fire.  The only commonly available semi-auto pistol round with adequate stopping power is a 'heavy' load in 10 mm.

If you need to get your firearm to Alaska for your adventure trip, 'Click Here' to see our firearms receiving and shipping service page. We are in process of becoming a licensed Federal Firearms Dealer, and will soon be able to ship firearms as well as order a firearm for you at wholesale cost and freight plus 10 %.