I thought this topic was about what pistol would or could kill a bear if needed. Or at least dissuade a bear from attacking further. From your posts mrbb, it sounds like you are talking more about hunting a bear with a pistol specifically which is something entirely different. I agree a large caliber rifle or a 12 gauge with slugs is preferred but this topic seems to be about what to carry if you're only carrying a pistol while hiking, biking, fishing or field dressing an animal and your rifle is not immediately next to you. I guess you can say that a pistol has not always worked against bears. The article above mentioned something like a 3% failure rate of the cases examined. The article didn't say that it only looked for successful cases and not failures. I would imagine one could find cases where bear spray, rifles and shotguns didn't work also. The point I took away is that a pistol can work if you place your shots well and timely. Or you can bring along your personal howitzer.