To give the Statistics fair accounting one has to eliminate accidents the occur out side of bear country.
Then only use those that occur in bear country.
It is kind like saying your more likely to get hit by lighting then attacked by a bear.
It is all dependent on where you are at.
https://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2018/06/bears-or-lightning-which-is-more-deadly.html
The same holds true for firearms in AK your more likely to be attacked by a bear then injured in an self inflicted firearms accident caused by not having the safety on.
That is what we are talking about not all firearm accidents.
I firmly believe in carrying firearms with their safety devices activated.
But the majority of firearms accidents are cause by human error not a mechanical problem.
Someone on FR posted a list of which handguns were used to kill bears in Alaska. The list was compiled by some state agency.
The gun (cartridge) most used is the 9mm Luger. I suspect that is just because that is the most carried.
When you get into which pistol caliber is best, you then have to determine load, bullet etc.
My guess is any revolver caliber in .357, .41mag, .44mag, and .45 Colt. would do the job, assuming hot load with best class bullets.
I am not counting the other powerhouses simply because very few carry .454 Casull etc. If you can handle the big .50 S&W, then of course it would work. I have never fired one and looking at it’s ballistics I don’t want to.