I'm fairly proficient with handguns but in my limited time in big bear country I've gone with bear spray backed up with a 12 ga shotgun loaded with Brenneke slugs. Bears are pretty fast, not a lot of time for rapid follow up shots. I'm more confident in my ability to place shots accurately with a long gun than a sidearm. Still the bear spray would have been my first line of defense and luckily neither was necessary.