When I was stationed in Alaska my primary truck and house gun was a 12 gauge pump stuffed with slugs the first round being a # 9 bird shot. Dust their paws with a No 9 and either they will leave quick or they are slug bait.
I do now carry a .500 linebaugh ruger blackhawk bisley when I get back up there to fish. But as you state when out an about bear country ya have to be careful , make enough noise so the bear will stay out of "your" way. BTW no caliber ,sluggun, rifle or handgun, is "enough" when you realize you ain't at the top of the food chain anymore...
My old 870 was real clean and serviceable "inside" but it had about 12 coats of rustolieum paint on the exterior. Real ugly gun but real comfort when needed.
Stay Safe !
Most folks who downplay a "long gun" have never been in bear country. Keep it close at hand and it becomes second nature. On the last elk hunting trip I made in Wyoming, we had a .458 Win Mag and a .44 Ruger that had belonged to a guide in Alaska. He fell out of a canoe and the body was never found. His brother was a neighbor and took his guns along. That .458 packed a heck of a whallop. Thought I had been kicked by a mule. The .44 was fun. We shot everything from robber jays to a porcupine with it.