I am currently working in the woods on an island near Juneau Alaska where the bears outnumber people 4 to 1.
I am still lookin for a good carbine to compliment my 44mag so I’ll be interested to see/hear what you settle on for your setup
I still need to get up to Juneau. If you're looking for something that's quick and handy, I'm really happy with my JM-stamped 1895GS in stainless. The 18in barrel is not at all cumbersome and models can be had in 16 inch. You can get good deals on them if you watch Gunbroker. They're pretty popular in my neck of AK. Hopefully at the end of this thread you'll have a ready-made sling solution for your own carbine as well.