I agree with RigewayCo that the 396 makes a great gun for general woods carry. I have had one a few years now. I have taken it with my 4" 629 and 625 Mountain Gun in .45 Colt and wound up packing the 396 when hunting in the mountains in steep terrain where every ounce counts.

It is not a target gun. That's not because its not accurate. It is. It is a fairly hard kicker. It has the infernal IL but its never been a problem. You should always try out anything you intend to use in it for serious purposes. It is particular about the types of ammo it shhots well and will not tie it up. I also find it easy to carry in town. The green fiber optic front sight works very well for my middle aged eyes. I like good, adjustable sights on a revolver carried for that purpose.

As with anything, it is a compromise. The wonderful, feathery weight of it comes at some cost. But, if you want a revolver of moderate size that fires a decent bigger bore round and is very east to carry all day and is accurate with very good sights and is quite resistant to corrosion, the 396 Mountain Lite is very handy. It never sold very well and was dropped by S&w. That's Ok though. I got mine and I'm keeping it.

As medicine for a angry grizzly, well, any handgun is pretty feeble. They move very fast and are hard to stop. I believe they are not deterred by pain like most humans when on the attack. I would want a heavy rifle or stay out of their territory. I think a Marlin Guide Gun with heavy .45/70 or .450 Marlin loads would be a good choice.