Well advised or not lots of people in Alaska carry 45 ACP, 40 S&W, 9mm and even smaller for "bear" guns in Alaska.
If you want a semi auto platform take a look at the LAR Grizzly Mag in 45 Win Mag (if you can find one), they were very popular with bow hunters, you may also consider something like a desert eagle, both are large handguns, my .44 feels like it weighs less than the Grizzly Mag.
With Vihtavuori powders you can load 45 Win Mag to ~ 1550 fps (1333 ft/lb) with 250 grain bullets, and about 1700 (1475 ft/lb) with 230 grain.
JHP bullets barely provide enough penetration to be effective on people, you want deep penetration with controlled if any expansion. A lot of people load alternating FMJ, JHP but I haven't talked to anyone that does that has had to use it.
Bears are predators and are setup to take damage from animals bigger than humans, they are faster than humans and pound for pound much stronger. On a hunting trip a family friend shot a bear in the skull with an arrow that penetrated the brain, it took enough time for the bear to die that backup guns were necessary to prevent an attack.
In general bears want to avoid people, if you aren't hunting I recommend making enough noise to let them know you are there, put a bell on your pack, keep food away from camp, be aware of where bears are likely to be and don't go charging in head first.
Surprise encounters with bears while not hunting were very rare in my family.
