Good thread; where we live we can watch black bear and dall sheep across the river valley from us with 8x binos, while the browns and moose pass through our yard. Modified Glock 20s are super popular. I carry a stock XDM in a Diamond D Denali everyday on the property, walking to the post office, etc. 200-220gr cast is typical. We've not had a mauling in a few years thankfully. One morning this June our neighbors to one side started shooting at around 7am, then on the other side about 1/2 hour later. A brown sow and her cubs came up to their cabin; sow did not respond to the first two rounds in the dirt at her nose, but ambled off after her cubs just before the next round (rifle) went into her. Fortunately our dog was inside, because they passed through the woods behind our house. Did not appreciate until we moved here that bear become habituated to noise, spray, and warning shots. Spring and early summer, the non-lethal are probably more effective, but once they get habituated, nothing left to do but put them down. USFS had to put a few down a few miles down river from us this year.

I wince when I see tourists hiking one of the trails near here, and all they have are bells and spray - there is no guarantee the bear you meet hasn't already been sprayed enough they no longer care. When we moved here a sourdough informed me that bear spray is for after you've shot the bear dead, so the Trooper can smell it and check the right box on the Defense of Life and Property report.

Sorry for the thread necromancy ... did you ever acquire the conversion kit? I had one of their Target conversions for 1911 and would like to get their XDM45/22M kits.