Hello,

You asked for a no B.S. straightforward answer: NO! For the past 10 years I have had two annual personal trips to AK, one hunting and one fishing trip on the Chena river. First line of MOOSE defense is a 20" barrel Win 1300 with tactical sights and slugs. I had the unfortunate experience of using this setup against a medium sized Brown Sow three years ago. It took two shots center mass + 1 for good measure to stop her. Last line of defense is a SW model 29 .44 mag. I would carry bigger if I could. I haver small hands - I am 5'10 male who shoots 1911 competitively - and found that with Pachmyr grips and practice I was able to rapidly and accurately shoot 300grn loads in the .44. Anything bigger is too much for me.

I am a fan of the 10mm but it has no place as a personal protection sidearm in the AK wilderness. I find it interesting that every post in this forum is focused on bear. Moose are responsible for nearly as many attacks on people in AK and in most cases are more violent and aggressive than bear. Your friends should be thinking moose defense as anything that will bring a moose down will handle any AK bear.

Lastly, a good dog will give warning and help distract a moose or a bear which will give your friend precious seconds she may need to escape attack. Just don't get too attached to the dog!