I had heard it was bad too, my 4" ported kicked less than I thought, I was prepared for a cannon.

It was certainly manageable by me, hold on to it well of course.

I've shot 9mm, which to me is very comfy to shoot, not much kick.

my 44 is 34oz unloaded its a 5shot.

btw you can always shoot 44 specials, I tried some snake loads which I assume are more like .44 specials than 44mags, and the kick was noticeable less, certainly more comfy to shoot, for home protection or just to plink I'd probably enjoy those more, but for grizzly protection, handling the 44mag is not a problem, just not something I'd want to shoot all day long ya know.