grandson thanks he will go to Alaska for a griz hunt...going to buy an appropriate caliber (NOT what I am asking about) what length of barrel? I was thinking 5 or 6" but I have no idea.

You didn't ask this, but it needs to be a consideration in what you buy. My opinion only.
Rate of Fire
Rate of fire is another criterion that isn’t on most hunters’ radar. Statistics vary, but most police officers don’t exceed a 50% hit rate. Even if you train regularly, you might not hit a bear on your first, second, or third shots, especially if the bear is charging. “If you think you’re gonna go out and shoot a moving target with 100% accuracy, you’re one brick short of a full wheelbarrow,”
A firearm with a high rate of fire will increase your odds of success by getting more rounds downrange in the space of time it takes for the bear to reach you.
Capacity
Using a gun with a large magazine capacity can also increase your chances of surviving a bear attack. If you hit the bear on every third shot, a five-shot revolver gives you one hit while a semi-auto holding 16 rounds gets you at least three

If you're going to carry with one in the pipe on a semi auto I agree with above.
If not I would go wheel gun if that is what you are comfortable with and experienced shooting.
Plenty of stories of guns dumping the mag on a gun they were not familiar with or not cycling a round into the chamber and trying to shoot.
Double action, 6 in barrel max, depends though if you're accurate with a 5 in barrel.

^^^^ good advice above too.
You should get some good advice on here.

Chest holster.

Caliber doesn't have to be a hand cannon, plenty of manageable shooting large calibers out there. Your ammo will be important.

https://www.diamonddcustomleather.com/collections/holsters/products/guides-choice-chest-holster

Whatever you get, carry it in this. I've had one a very long time, great product.

this is what I use as a chest holster

https://gunfightersinc.com/kenai-chest-holster/

barrel length equals access and deployment ease

Nice.

My chest holster as well, love it worth my 7.5”. Another factor is your ability to maintain or get back to your point of aim. Shorter the barrel, the more recoil, the harder and longer it will take to get back on target. This only gets more noticeable as you go up in caliber.

Most important thing IMO is shoot the gun you are most comfortable shooting. If you get to the point where you are shooting for self defense, you don’t want to be using an unfamiliar tool.

When I lived up there, I went through a lot of carry guns, but settled on a S&W 629 with the 4" barrel. It will be a little different if he is buying this specifically for one trip, but I eventually traded a number of "better" options for the handiness of the 4" 629. The best gun for the job is the one you have with you all the time. Not on your backpack, not back in the boat, but with you when you drop your pack and step off the trail a few feet to relieve yourself or sit down on a rock by the water to eat lunch. For me, the 4" was easy to ALWAYS keep with me.

Lots of good calibers out there. I went with .44 mag because I can shoot it a whole lot better than the hand cannons and I'd rather hit with that, than miss with the .500. Buffalo Bore makes some great hard cast bullets for this application.

Chest holsters are the way.

100% this ^^^^^

Best advice given above was, he should take what he is the most comfortable with, wheel gun vs semi. That make all the difference in the world.

I’ve been 3 of the last 4 years to Alaska and every guide I met carried a semi-auto in 10mm. They preferred the more rapid rate of fire and higher ammo capacity. Most were all 20-30 year olds. Maybe it’s a generational thing.

Yup. I got a 10mm that would work well with that holster in bear country.

I have both types of short guns. There are trade offs.

With a six shooter I just pull it and start shooting. But have only 6 bullets. And, in an excitable situation, I may not be too steady.

With the semi, I have to be cool headed in an excitement loaded situation. Why? Because I have to remember, under stress, to take it off safety. I have more pills but that might keep me from being cautious.

For home defense use a shotgun. Touch it off once and the bad guys crap their pants and think of a lot of other places they need to be.

I really prefer, and carry when I leave town, the Taurus Judge with a couple of 410 shells interspersed.,

I use a Glock G20 10mm. I wanted something with a lot of rounds, quick followup shots. If I need it, I wanted to put a lot of bullets on the target really fast. Having 5-6 rounds was not an option for me. I didn't want a huge hand cannon either, *IF* I needed the gun, I didn't want to have to draw a "joker" gun from a holster with a bear charging at me.

There was a guide in Alaska that famously used a 9mm with Buffalo Bore ammo that killed a grizzly at close range. You don't need a huge hand cannon to kill a bear, you just need to be accurate with your shot placement. Doesn't do any good having a 460 S&W magnum if you don't connect with the target.

You can always buy some Buffalo Bore for dangerous game. It will take them down if you hit your target where you need to..

When I lived up there carried 6 inch smith in 357
Today I would run a 10 mm 1911/2011

I like that, a lot.

A quality 4” double action revolver is a good combination of reliability, ease of carry, accuracy, and simplicity.

It rains there just about every day. No way I'd trust an auto pistol in those conditions on a charging bear. I always carry my 3.5 inch 44 Mag in the pic when I'm there.

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Personally I would go Glock in 10mm

I’ve shot some short barreled 44 mags ( 4” barrel ) and it was a bit difficult to recover for the second shot and be accurate. 10mm much better to recover and accurately place follow up shots, plus the ability to do a mag dump instead of relying on 5 or 6 shots.

I have been there and done that my guide suggested a short barrel 12 ga riot gun so thats what I took, I would highly suggest a 4in 44 also if it happens which it probably wont , double action is much more usable in the storm than a single action what are you gonna fan it, I always think what I heard ole man Jack Mcbride said to a customer that had just ask him which is better a single or double action pistol, He looked thru that guy and said just why do you think they started making double action pistols

While I was in Alaska I carried a Ruger Super Redhawk .44 mag with a 7.5 in barrel in a chest rig.

If concealability is not an issue, I personally like a 4" barrel. It just seems like a good balance of weight, controllability, speed out of the holster, etc.
The last time I went I ended up taking my 2" barrel .357 Mag just because it fit right in the chest pocket of my waders and fishing the rivers was going to be 95% of my potential bear encounters.

Bond Cyclops in 45-70. If you miss, your hand will hurt so bad you'll want the bear to put you out of your misery.

Or an FN510...22 rounds of 10mm

Truth. When Larry Kelly was trying to get a Kodiak bear with a .44 magnum, he emptied his revolver into a bear that broke into their cabin. His guide killed it with a rifle. Kelly was using hollowpoints, and they didn't penetrate the hide and fat layer. He switched over to either FMJs or solids (can't remember which), and killed his bear.

I also remember a fairly recent study of bear attacks/shootings. A large number of the bears were killed or driven off with a 9mm pistol.

Went to Kodiak, Afognak, and Raspberry Islands this past fall-- after seeing those bears up close any handgun will feel inadequate.

HOWEVER- myself and a buddy (hunting DIY- deer) and the guides that I did see-- all were carrying Glock 29 or Glock 20 10mm with hardcast (either handloads or buffalo bore ammo).

Another underestimated part of having a semi auto-- the pistol light. If you are hiking in the dark either into or out of the bush, camping overnight or maybe skinning a critter-- having that light on your pistol makes a HUGE difference if you need to engage.

A glock 29 with a TLR7 gives you double the capacity of a revolver, much easier to draw and engage (same format as what you likely carry day to day), same or lighter weight, lots more options for good kydex holster (mounted on belt, bino harness, across the chest, etc) and ability to have a light.

Lastly- don't discount bear spray- we carried that as well.