I agree on don't change it. Keep it.

And living in Alaska for neigh onto 63 years, my take (and the experts) on bears is best left to pepper spray.

Fish and Game carries shotguns, when I worked in the wood our MO was to have a buckshot round in the chamber and next 3, then a round or two of solid.

Idea was that you shredded the face, then killed it.

If a person gets tangled up with a bear, the report is, it was so close I never even got the gun up. Pretty rare but it does happen.

Pistol is good as a noise maker, often that is enough to scare one off.

One guy had an AK74. He got the bear, penetrating shots and 20+ rounds. NO witness so could not tell if he had to or not. Still its short, handy and fast.

I have had one bear encounter, my fault. Black bear and I had garbage under my trail (bagged but they can smell). No harm to either side though I am glad I clinch up when things get dicey, the broken louver on the crank open window scared the living daylights out of me.

Hunted and fished and berry picked for most of those 63 years.

I left them alone, they left me alone and I was noisy in the woods and never encountered one hunting.