IN 1960, I worked in Montana for a college summer job (Glacier National Park). We had a particularly nasty bear attack (a ranger, another ranger's son and a tourist) and I was on the rescue crew. That Saturday, I purchased a Ruger Flat-top 44 Magnum in Kalispell and carried it in a WW2 medic back-pack when I was working alone in grizzly country. I was treed by an old sow and I used the Ruger to put her down (did not tell anyone at the time since carrying in a National Park and killing an animal were felonies). Another trail crew dynamited a grizzly that kept coming into camp at night, was caught and not re-hired in 1961)
In 1961, I again worked in Glacier and was fishing in the backcountry (Lake Isabel) and had caught about 25 good-sized cut-throats. I heard someone behind me, picked up the string of fish and announced my catch. Just then I smelled a rotten mixture of decaying meat and vomit and just lowered the fish into the lake and waded in up to my waist (bears don't bathe and use Right-Guard, so they smell!). The Ruger was on the bank in my pack. The pucker factor went to 6 on the 5 point scale.
I traded the Ruger in the mid-60's for something more comfortable to shoot. It was light and with the heavy Norma loads then available, it was punishing - the web between my right thumb and fore-finger would bleed from the hammer's impact on recoil. Along the same lines, I've seen S&W 329's in the used section of shops and I'll just bet that they've only been fired 4-5 rounds! Today, I carry a 4" S&W 629 in the woods; it is light enough and the recoil is not painful.
Light weight is great for carrying, but painful for practice. On the other hand, when the chips are really down, you might not care about or feel any pain!
