If you want to trust your life to taking down a charging griz with a 9mm or 38 penetration, that's your business. But not me.
But you're right, you need to be able to control the gun and you also need to be able to carry it and not get tired of the weight and leave it in the truck.
My 329 is headed back to SW later this year. All the actual practicing with bear loads has taken a toll on the blast shield. Just because some people don't practice doesn't mean it isn't a good idea for those that do.
I think you missed the point, but with a 329 and bear loads, that's easy to do. ;-)
I enjoy shooting .44 revolvers quite a bit. If you can shoot them well, that's great, most people cannot. A 329 makes it much harder to do well, compared to even a MTN gun, let alone a 5" classic. Even though I can shoot a .44 well, I can still shoot a 10mm faster, with the accuracy needed for this particular job.
Anyone asking for advice on a bear gun in a thread on a forum, is not an experienced .44 shooter. For them, a reasonably powerful load, in a gun they are already familiar with, is a much better choice.
Actual bear attacks have been, and are, stopped every year with calibers that no one on the internet would ever recommend. I would not recommend them either, though like with almost anything self defense related, the gun you have with you beats the gun you left at home.
I do not prefer a 10mm, as I find them to be unreliable with full power ammo. If you think you have a reliable one, and you are happy with the power, then drive on. I choose a steel .44 magnum, or an HK 45 USP, with 45 super loads. Ive also played with .41's, .44spl, and some smaller calibers. Bears are a lot like people, they dont want to be shot with anything.
Does that make things more clear?
Now, as for you wearing out your 329, what loads are you actually shooting through it, and how many of them, and how often?
I ask, because I've never met anyone, ever, who is willing to shoot more than about a cylinder full at a time. And then, not very often.