Steely Don, a few feet come mighty fast, specialy if your looking at a 1000 lb grissly, yes a 44 is a good gun, but if your sleeping with it for a piece of mind please sleep with one eye open, talking from experance, and hope to never see it again, if you haven't taken it's head off with the fire power you have, don't think twice about running, you'll only get tired. Doug, slept with both eyes open