Just remember if at some point you get to drive to Alaska, you cannot take handguns thru Canada.
Hi, welcome back. Let me see if I get it covered first; you want to go traipsing about in large Brown Bear territory, you prefer a semiauto, can't shoot a Glock very well, are a bit recoil sensitive, want to keep it under $1,100.00 bucks, and have advocated the spray and pray method...so, your choices are very limited. The Witness 10MMM is a good pistol. Ruger makes a nice 1911 in 10MM as well. The Colt Delta Elite is a winner too. But my two cents is this: (1). Re-think this whole thing; you are more than likely going to end up dead. Seriously. (2). But if you insist on such folly, and insist on a semi-auto, then you need to learn to shoot a Glock. Why? The polymer frame will flex, and it does mitigate the felt recoil of the heavy, 10MM loads quite well. A Glock 20 or 40 will give you 15+1. (The 40 would be my choice for your stated conditions). Longer barrel/greater sight radius, and more velocity (whoop-ass) out of the danger end.
I often carry a Gen 4 G29, loaded up with Underwood heavy hitters. (10+1). But it's a CCW gun, not a gun designed with Griz in mind. I shoot my G29 at least as well as my G19. It's just not that bad as far as recoil goes. Oh, it does have some, no doubt, but it's controllable, if you have a strong grip and stance anyway. Also, the Glock is going to be more forgiving of the harsh conditions you may encounter. The Witness, or other steel guns, not so much. I'm not arguing the age old plastic vs steel here, it just makes sense to me to go Glock for the conditions you are likely going to encounter. But back to the bigger guns; the 20 or the 40. Probably not a good choice for CCW, but the best choice, IMO, for the scenario you describe. Read up some more. You'll find that some of the Scandinavian Countries outfit their Ski Patrols with the big Glocks, for Polar Bear defense. Polar bears are bad, but they aren't Grizzlies or Alaskan Brown Bears, which as you know, are both BIG and bad to the bone.
Again, welcome back, and let us know what you decide and when you go, so we know why you aren't posting anymore. (It's hard to type from the stomach of a bear).
If a bear is in your immediate vicinity, I don't think you'll notice the recoil. My grandparents retired NW of Durango. When we hike I usually have a Blackhawk 44 in a chest rig.
A long gun, if you dont mind packing one- is a better stopper. While 10mm 1911 may be on the light side for bear, if you shoot it better under pressure than the .44 mag wheelguns- thats what matters..
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