Not to burst everybody's bubble but the Glock 20 is gaining a fair following up here in bear country. Give Kenny a call at Wild West Guns in Anchorage if you want more than opinions.

OldRoger's post is the combo of gun and ammo that seems most popular among the Glock 20 crowd. Fifteen rounds of deep penetrating 10mm is nothing to sneeze at. If she's comfortable with the Glock 20 than that's the gun for her. I usually carry a 45/70 or 375 when I can, but a heavy caliber handgun has saved more than one Alaskan's bacon when close in and dirty. There have been a couple of charging big bears downed by handguns in the last few years.