44 Magnum Bear Country Revolvers

44 Magnum Bear-Country Revolvers: S&W Versus Ruger Hiking, hunting, or any activity that can bring you in contact with a brown bear means you should be prepared for the encounter. In the January 2026 issue, Robert Sadowski and his North Carolina test team evaluated two 44 Magnum revolvers suitable for use in bear country, the Smith & Wesson Model 629 and the Ruger Redhawk. Ruger Redhawk 5043 44 Magnum, $1124 Smith & Wesson Model 629 Mountain Gun 14041 44 Magnum, $1500 Our 44 Magnum test ammo included Hornady Custom with 200-grain XTP hollow points, PMC Bronze with a 240-grain TCSP bullet, and the HSM Bear Load with a 305-grain hard-cast gas-check flat-point bullet. We’d opt for the HSM Bear Load in bear country. The 4-inch tapered barrel on the Smith (bottom) has reduced weight compared to the 5.5-inch barrel on the Ruger (top). The Ruger had faster velocities and energy due to that extra length. The Smith was slightly more accurate, but not by a very big margin — just over a tenth of an inch with the Hornady XTPs, and hundredths with the PMC and HSM 44 Magnum loads. And about the same with the 44 Special Remington Wheel Gun loads. In hand, the Ruger balanced nicely, but the grip offered no comfort when shooting hot loads. The top edges of the grip underneath the thumb were not fitted as well as they should have been, and an edge sliced skin off a tester’s firing-hand thumb after only a few shots. Rubber grips would make this handgun a lot more comfortable to shoot. The S&W handled nicely and had hand-filling grips. Still, shooting for speed at 10 yards, the hefty recoil slowed down follow-up shots if we wanted to get a clean hit on a D-1 target. During reloads, empty cases fell clear with no sticking. The Tyler Gun Works Bear Hug fancy walnut stocks on the S&W (right) were larger and fuller with a palm swell compared to the thin wood stocks on the Ruger (left). The triggers of both the Ruger and Smith had smooth faces and rounded edges, perfect for fast firing with these big bores. The rear sight of the Ruger is outlined and has a matte finish to reduce glare. The S&W’s rear sight is serrated to cut glare. Also, both revolvers had plenty of checkering on the hammer spurs for sure cocking and uncocking. The painted insert in the Ruger front sight is dated and didn’t work well in low light, we thought. The brass bead on the Smith’s front sight is also old-school, and we preferred it. The Ruger locks up in front at the crane. The Smith locks the ejector rod with a pin in the shroud. The Ruger, left, has a sharp edge where the wood grip is notched that easily cut a user’s hand. The S&W, right, blends the grip and backstrap together for a smooth finish and no abrasion. The Redhawk is an accurate, powerful revolver. It should come with a second set of rubber grips that make the revolver more comfortable to shoot. We would have liked a front sight that popped more in low light and in bright light. The Redhawk is heavy, and that should be an asset when shooting a 44 Magnum revolver, but it can be tiring when you are carrying it on your hip or under your arm for miles at a time. We know the adage: Carrying a handgun should be comforting, not comfortable. For the price, this a suitable revolver, but it is on the heavy side. If we were going into bear country, we would opt for the S&W Mountain Gun because of its weight-to-power ratio. Sure, it didn’t have the speed and energy of the longer-barreled Ruger, but we prefer the Smith’s weight reduction over that. If we owned the Smith, we’d swap out the nice-looking wood grips for more practical and comfortable rubber grips.