You make a good point - garbage pepper spray should not be considered. We are talking about the protection of our lives and the lives of those we love. This would not be a place to skimp on a few dollars.

My point is that most people can't hit a 25+ mph moving target with the head lurching up and down when it's a target coming at them that is intent on eating them and weighs 400-1200 pounds. The only places on a bear that will be effective hits are the brainpan, spinal column, shoulder bones and hip bones and the last two are iffy. The last three are also very small or impossible targets in a straight on situation which generally leaves only the brain.

I have dodged bullets on three continents on behalf of my country, can consistantly hit a 2" circle at 50+ yards with any handgun I intend to carry other than beach guns (salt, sand, etc - it's usually a ****** old jennings or a hideously ugly kel-tec) and I can't honestly say I can hit a bear's brain if he was running at me with the true intent to eat me. Thankfully, I could probably tell if he/she/it was sincere in the attack. Very thankfully, I will have a hugongous canister of UDAP Pepper Power.

There are very few sprays registered by the EPA to use for bears. Those (and a ton of good info written by a man in the know) can be found here Brown Bear Projects at the Alaska Science Center.

Carry what you want. I'm a freedom kind of guy. I would educate myself thoroughly before I went out with just a pistol in any caliber though.

Edit: I would carry a firearm (preferably a 12 gauge loaded with alternating 00 buck at the magnum level and magnum slugs by brenneke) as well as pepper spray. The spray would be in my right hand with the shotty (or .44 mag or better pistol) in my left if I had the time and option to pull both. If no time - the spray would be my first "go to".