I'm looking at getting a revolver to carry with me when I'm backpacking/archery hunting in grizzly country, but I'd also like to be able to shoot targets and maybe a doe or two at close range. Right now I'm looking at the Ruger Redhawk 44 mag with the 5 1/2" barrel. My question is this: is a 49oz gun too heavy to comfortably carry all day? And is a pistol that has an OAL of 11" going to be too long to draw quickly and carry without it getting in the way?

Are there any other pistols in the $500-$600 range that I should be looking at?