Lordy, I hope I'm not just feeding the troll here, but. . . .
Don't epoxy your balls into anything. There are quite a few good choices for bear protection available commercially. Buffalo Bore, Garrett and CorBon all make deep penetrating .44 ammo. Pick non-expanding types for best penetration. If you can't find someone that stocks those, then pick up a factory load using Speer 270gr Gold Dots (these are soft points, not hollow points) or Federal Cast Core.
None of these will reliably stop a bear right there, unless you manage to hit the central nervous system. No handgun is a great choice for bear protection, but they are more convenient than large caliber rifles and shotguns. That 629 is EMERGENCY RESCUE EQUIPMENT, nothing more, nothing less. Like a tourniquet, fire extinguisher or the Jaws Of Life, if you are using your EMERGENCY RESCUE EQUIPMENT, things are already bad and headed for worse. Keep your wits about you, don't do stupid things, make enough noise that you won't surprise a bear, use proper food hygene to avoid becoming bear bait, and treat them with respect. 28 years now of sport fishing in some of the most remote and densly (bear) populated areas in Alaska, and never a single incident. Good luck and have fun.
But, seriously, you better practice double-taps and steady fire.
