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Hi Shane,
You know, you really already have a reasonably good "bear" gun in your .44 Magnum Bisley. It's rugged, accurate enough, plenty durable, hefty enough to handle recoil well, and the Bisley grips are noticeably better at handling heavy recoil than the standard SA grips.
Aside from that, the gun you're talking about is a great carrier, but you will not shoot it much with magnum ammo.
I have fired several lightweight alu/scan/tanium revolvers in lesser calibers, the recoil in a lightweight .38 can be overmuch for some, the lightweight .357s are a major handful, and the gun you're proposing is literally painful to fire. You're right about the recoil, it is a killer at both ends. 6-12 rounds in the bare hand is the most I've ever heard of anybody shooting it in one session, without going to shooting gloves, and even then it's not pleasant.
For bear it's marginal, depending on ammunition and the size of the bear. You can do better with your Ruger or an all-steel Smith.
For hunting, where you might only fire one shot, it can handle deer easily if you can get close enough to hit them. In this case, inside 50 yards, I'd think.
For all-day carry, it's great.
For self-defense, you'd have to go with .44 Specials, and most of those factory loads are pretty watered down today. Full-bore .44 Mags, even in the relatively light Silvertips, will bounce you all over the place, require much more recovery time to regain your sights on follow-up shots, and will likely give you a very fine flinch. You'd also have to switch back & forth on your sight settings.
I have an Airlight-Ti in .38 Special, it's a great pocket gun for occasions where carrying my .45 doesn't work.
Shane, may I suggest you try for two guns? Get yourself a decent revolver for people, in .38 or .357, and get yourself a bigger bore for your bear trips. One gun for both is not going to work equally well across the board. Enough gun for bear is too much for people, enough gun for people is too little for bear.
Maybe decide which one would fill your most pressing need & get that one first? If you spend more time around people, get the defensive gun first. If you spend more time around bears then get the bear gun first.
If you want that lightweight S&W .44 Magnum as a "cool" gun, by all means go for it. If you want it as a practical gun, you might want to pass on it. It's really a niche gun for experienced shooters, and I don't think it's a good choice for you.
Denis
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