April 11, 2018 Update: I found this article via a thread over on Rokslide. Its a must read if you spend time in bear country. The accounts of the attacks, how they happened, and how they were responded to is great info! Adding to that you get to see a lot of data around the effectiveness of handguns as bear defense tools.
https://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2018/02/defense-against-bears-with-pistols-97_25.html
I moved to Alaska in 2006 and two things were deemed a must have purchase, a rifle in .338 WM and a .44 Mag revolver. My Dad was worried about me hiking with all the bears and helped me get a S&W Mt Gun in .44 Mag. I started shooting handguns after college, got caught in the 1911 craze and bought one I religiously carried for a few years. However, as I started to train with handguns I realized that the 1911 was bulky and presented a few problems for me. Being the analytical junkie that I am I spent a lot of time researching various options.
During this time I bought and sold some pistols working my way through the Beretta PX4 Storm, the S&W M&P, and finally to the Glock platform. I’m not saying my process should be your process, but for me the Glock platform is cheap, durable, and simple. I train with it and it simply just goes bang when it needs to, and has yet to fail on me. Plus as a member of the Glock Shooting Sports Foundation (GSSF) I can get MIL/LE pricing which makes the Glock platform a value that is hard to ignore. Combine that with the readily available accessories and the Glock has become one of my main tools of choice for concealed carry.
The more I shot the more I realized how quickly and accurately I could get on target with my Glocks. I read quite a bit about 10mms for bears and decided that it would work for me. Lot of debate on this topic, but for me I can more accurately dump a mag full of ammo from my G20, in a whole heck of lot less time, than from my .44 mag revolver. Would more training fix that? More than likely, there are lot of FAST revolver shooters out there, but as a civilian my training is limited. As such I moved everything to one platform and train from that. Muscle memory is key and my training is now applicable across most scenarios that I may potentially encounter. For those of you blessed with the ability to mentally retain skills and memory, this might seem silly. All I know is that in a high stress scenario I want to be able to react quickly and with precision. For me I can increase my ability to react via a standard and versatile platform.
I upgraded the barrel on my G20 to a Lone Wolf barrel and run Double Tap hardcast bullets in 200gr. I buy the ammo when I can get it and partner with my buddy to handload hot loads for field use. I am confident in this platform and utilize several different methods to ensure my G20 is readily available.
For concealed carry (which I rarely use the G20 for) I run holsters from J&M Custom Kydex, when in the woods I run Safariland holsters with retention, or the Hill People Gear Kit Bag. This sort of counters with my early desires to remain consistent in my training, but I found that with practice drawing is not as difficult for me to mentally process as switching from handgun to revolver or across different handguns. Before I head out I do a quick practice with whatever “holster” I plan to utilize to refresh my mind. This combined with my normal training scenarios gives me a solid foundation. Depending on the trip I can even bring some extra ammo and create some scenarios while afield. Combine this with professional training and personal range time and I feel that I am working as hard as I can to maintain and build skills.
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