I would highly recommend you do just the opposite. A can of bear spray weighs a fraction of what a sidearm does. It can accurately be fired from the hip and in general it's a lot more effective. A dose of pepper causes blinding pain, breathing problems and extreme disorientation. Unless you can place a bullet in a moving bears central nervous system he'll brush it off like a mosquito bite. A sidearm might make you feel real macho, but I would seriously recommend the bear spray instead, and I've lived and hunted in bear country my whole life.