Smith and Wesson 329PD, 44 magnum. Nothing else like it.

As far as the 40 caliber, I consider it the caliber of the month. It is not the first attempt at marketing the 10 mm. It is a fine caliber, but not in the league of the 44 Magnum for bear and such. If you wanted a 10 mm, or 40 S&W, try one of the revolvers. But that Titanium 329PD is the ultimate. Tom.

The .40 S&W is my handgun caliber of choice, particularly for carry. My favorites are the HK P2000 and Steyr M40A1, but there are plenty of other makes and models out there in that chambering. For carry while hunting, I would recommend sticking withgood 180 gr. JHPs.

As for bear, I'm sure a few well placed hits with a .40 S&W would do the job, but I'd feel better having some extra power with a .44 Mag. Ruger sells some really good revolvers at excellent MSRPs. You can also use .44 Specials at the range so you don't wear yourself out with the heavy magnum loads.

Check with your state regs on CCW.Some will let you carry,say a 44mag,others will let you carry a handgun that isnt classified as a legal hunting gun.i.e. I can carry a 9mm.but it wont protect me to much from a bear.Anything over .23 is hunting cal. in my state.

fact of the matter is... personal defense in a CCW situation and that of a wild animal are two completely different things with different aspects and outcomes... size your round accordingly...

in bear or big cat country? like big brown things with big claws and nasty attitudes that sometimes hunt you... forget about weight.... forget about concealability... go for raw power, penetration and KO from a hand cannon... to me that means nothing less than 44 mag or 45 Colt (on a Ruger platform) preferrably maybe even a 460 or 500 if it is purely for self defense from a big critter trying to eat me...

as for CCW... well you shoot until the the threat is no longer a threat... whether that imeans the perp is wounded on the ground, dead or fleeing... when the threat is no longer a threat... you no longer shoot... people (cept maybe that crack head in a drug induced superman state of existence) are much easier to "stop" than 6 or 700 lbs of bear... plus in all honesty you want to avoid full penetration fo the target... so that the neighbor doesn't get a hole in their wall too... for me... i prefer the wheel gun... and yes i've owned a few brass flingers... my preference honestly for carry... S&W 637... i've put a couple of cylinders through an S&W 360 PD Scandium / Titanium... with all out 357 loads... it'll quickly seperate the men from the boys and maybe your thumb from your hand at the same time if you don't know what you're doing... even 38 +p isn't the most pleasant thing in the world from the uberlightweight revolver...

Average person is 165lb and a S&W40 has 400lb of KO power
Average bear is going to be 500-600lbs and a 44mag has 1000LB of KO power.

Yes a 40 sw will bring it down but it is like a 22lr on a deer unless you hit it in the head or spin you better keep firing. If my life is on the line and I am putting small holes in it I might die and that is a risk I am not willing to take and i bet your would not if your life or say your KIDS life was on the line. On a large animal you need to tear up them interal organs as fast and as much as you can.

The exstra 2-5lbs of iron is worth its weight in gold time in and time out.

Id say go with a colt 1911 platform loaded with heavy bullets. you can fire the 45 auto rapidly and controably.

Thanks guys

Think about this. You are using this handgun for personal protection against large claw and fang wielding animals. You won't notice the recoil or how heavy the gun is when you are face to face with one of these angry animals. I would not shoot anything any smaller than a 44 magnum. I would cosider a 460 or 500 magnum in a revolver with a relatively short barrel. You need the short barrel for maneuverability and removing the gun from the holster quickly. Forget the 40 SW and the 45 if you are concerned primarily with protecting yourself.