It's not the number of rounds that has made it popular, it's the ammo. There are two schools of thought...Buffalo Bore 220 gr vs Xtreme Penetrator 140 gr. I have my Lab with me, and she's always on red alert, so I'll have plenty of warning. I'd rather have 15 rounds and not need all of them vs having five or six rounds and needing more.
Don't get suckered by companies like Buffalo Bore or Grizzly that may get their published velocities by using 12 and 16 inch test barrels. I've found that velocities published by companies like Federal or Remington for a certain weight bullet are much closer to reality for 5 and 6 inch pistols. Chronographs are not as expensive as they used to be. If my life depended upon it, I would find a shooting friend who had one and test my favorite round for the actual velocity.
I have my Lab with me, and she's always on red alert, so I'll have plenty of warning.
A dog is a good idea, but no guarantee. We don't have grizzlies where I live, but we do have 400+ lb wild hogs. We have to be careful hunting them at night because looking at them walking away from you using a thermal scope, they can look like a bear. And, contrary to popular belief, boars can travel alone and move through the brush as quiet as a mouse. I lost a good dog to one such surprise attack.
I'd rather have 15 rounds and not need all of them vs having five or six rounds and needing more.
As I said earlier, if it's an actual surprise attack, you likely won't get to use but 2 or 3. Better make them count. There are many 44mag rounds out there with a muzzle energy of 800 to 1,000 ft/lbs or better.
I’ll go with the Alaskan’s recommendation on this one.