My Redhawk (5.5", 44 Mag) got some use for bear protection in Summer 2002. Marie and I were picking blackberries near Clark's Grade in the San Bernardino NF when we began smelling the presence of a black bear near at hand that had been dining on said berries recently. Noisome......we never did see him in the dense brush surrounding that berry patch, but his odor was unmistakeable and that CHUFF CHUFF CHUFF vocalization no more than 25-30 feet away sealed the deal......TIME TO BAIL. I covered Marie's retreat to the truck before moving, standing between her and the truck......she got in, and I slowly backed toward the truck, watching the spot I thought he was the whole time. No charge, the bear never emerged, but he still got the bulge on us but good. Now, a blackie isn't one of those shag-nasty griz or polar customers known to dine upon us more frequently, but this guy provided enough of that preternatural low-brain instinctive subliminal fear of the type instilled by dire wolves, short-faced bears, saber-toothed cats, and all that other Ice Age megafauna from millenia past to satisfy my taste for same completely. And on that note.....the Redhawk's weight at the time was nary a concern. No, a longer, heavier, and larger-caliber counter-measure would have seemed entirely appropriate, and a belt-fed option would not have gilded the lily much either. Within the month, I added the CZ-550 in 9.3 x 62 as our Official Berry Patch Rifle. I like that 5-round mag packing shots with twice the muzzle energy each of the 30-06/180 grain loading. (250 grain Nosler CT @ 2650 FPS.......IMR 4320 is your friend, as is WW-760).