Alaska
 

I am moving to Alaska soon and I want a new handgun suited for the terrain. I am looking at large bore revolvers and I am considering a Glock 10 mm. I believe the revolver is better suited overall but I am former law enforcement and I have extensive Glock training and I am very comfortable with the Glock style.

The pistol will be for defne against large animals and the two legged kind as well.

many outdoorsmen have exspressed there support for the Colt Delta 10mm.

I'd advise a large bore wheel gun, probably .44 mag at he very least. Bears and cats don't die as easily in real life as they do on TV. I'd actually recommend the Glock that you favor in addition to a .300 Win Mag or 7mm Mag.

I`ve been to Alsaka 3 time and talked to alot of locals and spent alot of time watching wildlife. I have seen the power of a grizz up close and heard many tails of how hard they are to stop. If I were going into grizz country I would carry nothing but a 500 S&W. There is a guy in Homer that cast some of the best looking gas checked bullets I`ve ever seen and he makes them up to 700 gns. That would be my carry gun when in the bush.

When dealing with animals like that though, follow up shots are just as important as a hard hitting round.

ak iron
 

I'm also prior LE. Rural Ak for 12yrs. You're on the right track with the 10mm Glock, if you practice with the high power loads, and can get your mitt around the fat grip. You must have thousands of rds of training on the Glocks...Why untrain and retrain your brain on a new system, especially when you "like" the Glocks...I have seen brown bears dropped with .40 cal pistols, don't recommend it, but you use what you have on hand when needed. If you expect to tangle with a bear, take a long gun, preferably the one you are good with. If not, pack the 10mm.

You may also want to look at an EAA Witness in 10mm. You can then get a conversion kit to shoot the much cheaper 9mm for practice. I have 2 Witness pistols, 1 poly and 1 all steel and they're quality handguns priced very reasonably...

If I were you, I'd probably get a Glock 20 10mm, which can be used in a bind against large animals. But I'd probably also find a Marlin 1895G .45/70 lever-action if you plan to venture out. I'd dare to say a moderate to hot .45/70 load would drop most dangerous animals you're likely to encounter.

My opinion
 

If I were you, I'd probably get a Glock 20 10mm, which can be used in a bind against large animals. But I'd probably also find a Marlin 1895G .45/70 lever-action if you plan to venture out. I'd dare to say a moderate to hot .45/70 load would drop most dangerous animals you're likely to encounter.

+1 on the Glock 10mm. I am not a Glock fan but if you are well trained on them and have large enough hands, the G-20 is a good choice. Find a good supersonic 180 - 200 gr FMJ. I would not carry HP's in bear country. You need A LOT of penetration for big bears.

Marlin Guide Gun in .45-70. Great, handy bear medicine. I load a 340 gr cast bullet (Linotype) at 2100 fps through my Guide Gun. Pachmeyer decellerator makes it less punishing.