Not an Alaskan boy, but I periodically hike in areas where bear (black & brown) live.
I carry a Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan in .480 Ruger spitting Buffalo Bore 410 grain L.B.T. with a WFN (Wide Flat Nose) meplat that leaves the muzzle at 1,200 feet per second & 1,311 foot pounds of muzzle energy. This is strapped across my chest in a custom leather holster from Diamond D Leather.
There are certainly more powerful pistols to shoot at a bear with, but the muzzle kick on a .454 Casull or a S&W .50 Cal Magnum means you’ll likely only get one shot off by the time you’re done bringing that pistol’s sight line back down from the sky.
You can kill any bear with a smaller caliber pistol if you are both smooth & accurate under pressure with a shot to the central nervous system (CNS). This is NOT the skull area on the bear. It’s behind the nose & mouth - aim there. If it’s a far away charge, a warning shot in the dirt, then a shot into a shoulder to stop the charge & disable the bear, followed by a head shot to end it. Feel free to clean your britches out afterwards.