I fired one once at an indoor range where a guy a couple of stalls down was shooting. The concussion from his shooting made me feel like my cheeks were flapping out a car window Was a Smith with a 5" barrel, if I remember. definitely qualified as a "double-handful".
At any rate, he offered to let us shoot it...I figured why not. Let me tell you this--after cranking that thing off, shooting my cousin's 44-Mag snubbie felt like a pea-shooter....
I wouldn't mind trying an 8" on a bear or mule-deer with one though...I'd hate to be in a gunfight with one however--I think it'd blow clean through your target and land slugs God knows where...