A couple of thoughts:
Lehigh extreme penetrators don't. Hardcast or don't bother.
Bears are fast. Waiting for proper reaction after deploying bear spray is not a good idea. Get out. Not likely to get more than 3 or four shots from a handgun either, so don't be fooled that 15round magazines are...
What fuel were you using?
The problem is simple to fix, but prevention is better which is why I'm asking about fuel.
Also, are you a "cooker" or a "water boiler"? I.e. do you leave it going for an hour at a time?
I used to do this but with a 329pd revolver. I mounted a cheap top flap holster to the pack hip belt with military surplus pouch clips. I could move from pack to me as needed.
If I were in your situation, I would use two holsters. A cheap top flap mounted to the pack and then a cheap paddle for...
Funny, but I just read a bear attack case where the fellow attacked by a sow grizzly, hit the bear 4/6 shots with a 4" 629 loaded with super hot HSM bear loads. He had only shot the revolver a couple shots before he started carrying it.
I shoot a lot because I like shooting. But the data shows...
He has the wrong grip on it - he does his videos for entertainment, not education.
If you can't handle the 329, then maybe you should stay home - after all you might get a blister or need a latte or something.
Durability is fine - and S&W Customer Service has been first rate when something needed work.
Since I already own it, I shoot it well, and the 44mag is big step up from the 10mm - I've no intention of swapping it for a heavier, wimpier, 10mm.
But if a guy has no revolver experience, doesn't...
Knowing what I do now - no. If you buy a 4+" barrel 10mm and don't put little kiddie stuff like optics and aftermarket barrels, etc., You'll have a heavier but adequate bear zapper for less money.
Last I checked the 329pd was $1200, and you can get a G20 for $650. The fully loaded G20 is 40oz...
Back before 10mm was worth a dog poop, I carried a S&W329pd while backpacking. I carried it in a top-flap holster connected to my pack using Vietnam-era military pouch clips. When I dropped my pack for the night, I unclipped my 44mag and carried it on my hip if fishing, or just kept it with me...
Take the brake off.
I've scoured the net for reviews of this rifle and I found a shooter who discovered that his rifle was very sensitive to brake position - so he took it off and suddenly his gun was sub-moa. Makes sense.
A shotgun is something that is fitted to a person and it is not aimed like a rifle.
Your patterning work showed how well your load and choke were working together to keep the shot impacting in a prescribed area.
A good read is "The Stock Fitters bible" - Rowland Oswald.
Find a trap club and ask...
Far too many guys get all hung up in the minutiae of long range shooting before they get enough trigger time to really understand the process.
So when I hear somebody with total of 50 rounds downrange musing about the BC of $1/shot versus a 25 cent/shot bullet - I shake my head.
IMO, it is...
Although 16" seems sub-optimal for 308, we run 165gr @2600+fps using 8208 with good accuracy. The rifle has a brake, excellent trigger and is easy to shoot. And of course it folds up nicely for carrying in/on a pack.
Ok, here goes.
Stop arguing with dead animals. If a bullet kills the animal - good. Don't expect that a pretty mushroom kills any better.
trigger time is way more important than bullet selection. So if shooting Hornady Interlocks lets you get in 3x more trigger time, that is more important...
I love Aguila Interceptor. Gives me 1200fps from my 6" 22lr pistol which is 200fps more than Federal 325 in a box stuff. And Interceptor is much more consistent - the Federal stuff has a 150fps ES.