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I do not own one but I have fired the 454, 475 and the 500 a few times. They are no doubt the "big boys" of handguns. Here is a little data to help show how big these boys are:
I reload my 44mag on the "warm" side and my 300 gr bullets chrono around 1325 fps. The same bullet in a 454 casull can be loaded to 1700 fps and in the 460 around 2000 fps, which is 51% faster than my hot 44 mag loads.
Even an old man like myself can handle the recoil but I have been shooting 44mag for many years so I am use to recoil. If anyone that has only fired a 9mm or smaller trys one they could be in for quite a shock.
If I was selecting one for "bear country backup" I would probably go with the S&W 500, simply because I believe in the "bigger is better" method.