I recommend checking out the sidearm for bear country thread in this section for thoughts about a .44 as bear protection.

But if you're looking for a great lightweight .44, you might check out the Taurus Ultralight. It'll give you 6 rounds of .44 mag in a Titanium-frame package that's within an ounce of the 329's weight but far less expensive.

So, I checked out the Taurus. Yes it's less expensive but the craftsmanship is not there. I asked the guy behind the counter and he told me the 329 is barely (no pun intended) adequate for hotter bear loads and that he has seen the Taurus come back and peices were coming loose after just a couple hot rounds.

Shoot that Taurus once and you won't shoot it again. Kills the wrists. Stay with something your comfortable with and shoot accurately. It's a whole new ball game when a Grizz is charging you with in 10 yds.

When I go fishing I myself carry a mossberg 600 cruiser withpistol grip and 600 grain slugs. Heavy? Yes, but if you ask the guides, this is what they tens to carry and gives me a psycological advantage.

I shoot the 329 a fair amount and i really don't mind the recoil even in the bear loads. it tends to jump upwards instead of kicking back which makes it a little more comfortable to shoot.
I also have a super red hawk but the barrel length and weight make it uncomfortable to carry.

Just remember:

1) A grizzly can cover 50 yards in three seconds

2) Most attacks are considerably within 50 yards

3) Bears are extremely reluctant to die.

Bottom line is that in a moment of surprise and fear, you may get a couple seconds to react, draw, aim, fire, and hit a very small vital zone associated with a head-on shot at a large, angry carnivore coming at you at 30 mph. You're not going to have the energy to stop him in his tracks. Even if you hit vitals, you'll have to do it repeatedly because even lethal shots take awhile to kill a bear. So you wind up hoping that you can do enough damage so that he dies before he finishes killing you.

Am I saying guns don't work? No. But you can shoot bear spray from the holster and it puts up a fog that doesn't have to be as accurate. It also immediately shuts down his eyes and nose while affecting his breathing. A bear with holes in his chest is still able to target and chew on you (and he's more pissed off, too). A sprayed bear that's suddenly blind and coughing tends to quickly reorganize his priorities. That's why studies have shown spray to be 90 percent effective at stopping bear attacks. You get to walk away without having to spend goodness knows how long explaining things to Fish & Game. If you're in Alaska, it also saves you the hassle of skinning out the bear with whatever pocketknife you have on hand, too. You'll also save about $650.

I'm suprized that no one has jumped up yet to tell you how ineffective pepper spray is. Yet it seem's to me that no one that tears it down has ever used it. The stuff will denigh them of the excuse to use their handgun in some situtation they deem life threating. Let me make something clear, anytime you leave the comfort of your own home, you enter a life threating situtation. Some are just more volitle than others.

One of the things wrong with blasting away with your handgun is that most people are not good enough to use them in the first place. What you could very well end up with is a dead guy with a handgun and a wounded bear with an ax to grind!

Next thing is that if a bear is really looking to eat you, you'll likely not know it until way to late. Give me a choice between a handgun and pepper spray in pepper spray range and I'll take the spray

Now if you opt for S&W's 500, it is my understanding that few people can shoot it one handed and hold onto it. So, make that one shot count if that's what you need to try. Doesn't sound to me like you'll get a second chance. In the field trial dog world you'd become what is called, "best of loser's". Second place ain't all that great!

All except the very best pistoleros can draw and get off a decent shot at any kind of animal that is truely charging. Preditors are not like humans, they don't see how far away they can launch a fatal attack and make it work. No sir, with them it's kinda like,,,,in your face and then charge. If you for some reason happen on a bear that you spot befor the attack, most people are far better off with a suitable rifle than a handgun. Even a 12 ga shotgun with 1 oz slugs is a better choice.

This subject is thrown around on different sites and it is amazing how many people are willing to put their lives in the care of a handgun when there are lots better options.

You might stop and concider how the people living in out of the way places in Canada, where you can't have a handgun, survive all those bears. How they do that??

well, before my thread got Hijacked by pepper spray bear slayers we had a good conversation about the 329 and the Taurus. If I wanted to hear about how pepper spray is effective i would have asked " .44 vs pepper spray for bears"
But hey, thanks for the input.