Good handgun, concealed, active person.

[Cemo]

10MM Glock would be great in bear country.

 

[stinger 327]

How about one of those NAA Mini Revolvers in .22 mag or .22 LR. These are very concealable guns.

 

[Samari Jack]

I actually all ready run with bear repellent! I want the weapon as a means of protection from people and perhaps a secondary for the bears.

I was reading some posts via my phone today while I was at the gun shop, took a couple suggestions as well as these are all the guns that felt good in my hands. Springfield Armory XD sub-compact .40 and the compact .45, Glock 23, FN FNX-40, Taurus 9mm Millenium Pro, Bersa UC .45, Taurus M605 .357, hammerless Ruger SP101, High Standard 1911 compact, Sig 239 .40.

I REALLY like the Spingfield compact .45 and still the SP101. The Sig was absolutely awesome to hold, best feel of all of them but with the $839 price tag I didn't like it that much.

I think I have it down to the S.A subcompact .40, compact .45 and the SP101 considering their sizes, price, feel, power and reliability. The thing is the Springfields seem like concealed carry was a bit of an afterthought, they look like they might not conceal well.

Does anyone have any IWB experience with any of those three guns? Or IWB brand suggestion for these guns in particular?

I have a Springfield XD 40. About the same recoil as my Glock 19 only heavier bullet. Very reliable. I'm a lefty and the back strap safety can be a pain in some instances like clearing a round as the springs seem kind of stuff an the safety must be compressed all the way. To me it is a useless safety. The XD40 does have ambidextrous mag release though.

 

[ForumSurfer]

Does anyone have any IWB experience with any of those three guns? Or IWB brand suggestion for these guns in particular?

I have a whole drawer full of unused IWB holsters. The only two I ever use are a crossbreed supertuck handmade knockoff (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=545040) and a high noon split decision (http://www.highnoonholsters.com/Product_Line/Split_Decision/split_decision.html).

The handmade holster mentioned above, the crossbreed and comptac are all quality pieces and making carrying IWB much, much easier despite the fact that they look large and bulky. Put it on and you'll never regret it. I love the leather feel on the inside (since kydex...well kydex hurts those of us with less natural padding) and the kydex functionality on the outside. [/my 2 cents]

 

[Jotobo]

There really is only one all star type 9mm that can be concealed how you specified. That is the $1200 Rohrbaugh R9. Way too pricey, imo...

There are the Kel Tec PF9 and P11, but they are squirt gun quality. I know many that love Kel Tec and I know many that hate them. Truly a hit or miss brand. Neither is close to the quality or concealability of the R9.

If you really need to keep the thing hidden you really have to go with the R9

The Glock 19 is a great, great gun, but too big. So is the Glock 26. At least for what you are asking for.

The Ruger SR9 is a great gun, but again, too big.

You are going to have to sacrifice caliber if you want to keep it hidden or pay a **** ton of cash for the R9. The R9 is NOT fun to shoot at all. It sucks.

You could go smaller and just carry an extra magazine.

 

[stinger 327]

You can't go wrong with a Glock.

 

[twofifty]

black bear odds

Number of black bear deaths in North America, by decade (per Wikipedia):

2000s: 16
1990s: 9
1980s: 4
1970s: 6
Consider also that the majority were women or children.

I don't know assault with a deadly weapon statistics. Whatever they are, they surely are several orders of magnitude higher than the black bear ones.

If you live in an area where bears regularly show up on folks' doorsteps, then you are at risk and a heavy powerful handgun is a great idea.

If on the other hand you hike a few times a year in black bear country...say the Appalachian or Allegheny mountains...then you already know how shy these critters actually are. A smaller lighter gun would then be the most practical choice.