When talking about "defence" I am thinking about shooting a black bear in the face just before he latches onto my leg. A D/A .357 revolver is what I want. If the bear is on me I can shoot it with one hand (left or right) and put it in his ear if I have to. I don't need (or want) the kind of power that will make a gun hard for me to handle in a "CLOSE" situation.

If I wanted a handgun to hunt bear and take shots at 80 or 60 or 50 yards, I would oprt for one of the BIG bore hand cannons.

Pepper spray is a good option and my only legal choice in Alberta, Canada.

Robin