629 For Daily Carry

The sabot slugs do better (think brenekee black magic) but not all of them will run in a smooth bore.

Accuracy with a lever gun in usually better, and just as fast as a pump shotgun.

Berretta 1301 can really dump 7tds of 12 ga faster than any lever gun and the new Berretta patrol 12ga is just a tad slower 
00 buckshot is also a contender up close 
I’m a fan of deep penetration with low recoil and fast follow up shots, but that’s on black, brown and the occasional griz 
Had a friend who swore a co worker of his took down a polar bear in Alaska with a M16 when he was stationed on Shemya Island

While a semi auto 12ga is defiantly faster than a lever action, they do have the disadvantage of not working well in the cold, where a pump shotty or lever action rifle will almost always work. 

I’ve heard of a few polar bears being taken down with 223/5.56. The natives up here use a lot of 223.

I heard of a polar bear being taken down by an M2 carbine. Guy dumped 20 full auto .30 cal rounds into it in self defense.