And some more on the Great Outdoors!
Based on people I follow who have focus on bear defense incidents, most any serious handgun does pretty well in stopping bear attacks, say 9 mm and above, although FMJ is preferred for its better penetration. But more is better as long as the recoil is not so much you fail to learn how to use the handgun well.
A 12 gauge shotgun with slugs or a serious rifle are of course standards, but it’s best to have a handgun backup.
https://www.facebook.com/MontanaFWP/posts/586376553638100
https://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2023/06/update-of-handgun-defenses-against.html