Well, out of my 2.3" Ruger, I'm getting 662 ft lbs at 1306 fps (IIRC on the velocity). That's down from 780 ft lbs out of my 6.5" Blackhawk, but still viable for black bear defense IMHO. Yeah, it's for outdoor use. I carry the 140 grain Speer load, but if I wanna shoot a hog and I'm packin' the Ruger, the 180 is the one. Same for hiking in bear country. And, so long as it shoots to POA (mine does) and especially a 3" gun, they're light weight, powerful, easy to tote all day, and make GREAT hiking guns in bear country. There's room for the heavy bullets in these guns if you spend time in the outdoors with 'em. If you never leave the concrete jungle or carry a bigger gun afield, yeah, no real reason for heavier bullets. But, the gun will handle 'em.