A plausible feel-good argument...
My son's Glock 20 wasn't manufactured in the 70s and 80s. Experienced a 30% failure to feed and fire rate when loaded with heavy recoiling bear rounds last September. He finally lost confidence, and purchased a revolver.
My brother was a gunsmith for 37 years. Semi-autos came in for failure to function repairs much more often than revolvers. He carries a revolver for bears. No pistols.
Are semi-autos more reliable than 40 - 50yrs ago? I would hope so. Are they as reliable with all variety and flavor of ammo as a revolver? When they get dirty and fouled in the field, will they be as reliable as a revolver exposed to the same conditions? No. They never have been, and never will be. So if comparative reliability matters, semi-autos lose to revolvers. Are they reliable enough to bet your life on? I think you've made up your mind. Use what you please, and I wish you the best. Makes no matter to me.
If I were to carry a semi-auto anything, it would be constantly well maintained and thoroughly tested with my bear defense ammo of choice. And that function testing would be a necessity way more often than with my revolvers.