hunting hand guns

[whyohe]

this is just a thread to discus what hand gun you use for hunting and what in your opinion is the smallest caliber you would use for hunting.

for me, in deer hunting I would use nothing smaller than a 44 mag for a good clean kill FOR ME! I know there are alot of others that have used and killed deer cleanly with a 357 mag. and some that use a 41 mag. i have a 357 mag but i haven't found the load it likes and the accuracy for me to use it hunting deer.

now if i was hunting coyotes and had the accuracy and load it likes, I'd have no problem using it. i think it would be nice to try and take a ground hog with one too. I'm sure its over kill but that is me. I'd rather have alittle too much than not enough. I think the new 327 mag would be nice for yotes and smaller game like this.

how many out there can use a semi auto pistol for hunting? If you can what is the smallest round you would use and why? If it can kill a human can it or why can't it kill a deer?

[wilmsmeyer]

I've carried my .357 deer hunting for 15 years and have only shot 4-5 deer with it. All coup shots. The last one was interesting: After putting a Barnes 437 gr 12 guage slug thru the point of a quartering on buck at 70 yds (the one in my avitar) and smashing one shoulder, 1 lung and the liver and exiting near the rear.....he lay on the ground....almost dead. I could have watched him die but instead I put a 158 GR federal hydro-shock right behind the shoulder and into the heart at 5 feet away.

When I gutted him, I was mildly surprised that the heart had a very big hole in it and the wound channel was decent. When I skinned him I found the bullet under the skin on the far side and it had mushroomed well and retained most of it's weight.

I agree with Whyohe that the .357 is probably marginal on deer unless you really 10 hole them. Then what would separate the result from say..an archery 10 holed deer. I usually carry 158 flat nosed hardened reloads. On other deer these bullets never stopped and that's OK too.

One day I want to shoot a perfectly healthy does at 15-20 yds with my .357 and hit her perfect....I bet I know what will happen. ;D ;D

What I also want is a smokeless, Muzzleloading pistol with about a 10 inch barrel and an EER scope in .50 cal....A single shot .500 SW magnum. Wish I knew someone who would build me one.

[iowamuzzleloader]

I use a 44 mag and have since Iowa opened a handgun (allowed weapon) season. Love using it. Taken does on a dead run as far out as 50 yards. And 70 yards at a stand still. I use a red dot with it. I like using the hand gun for brushy cover or close pathways on a drive. And the fact that I have six shots instead of the one. With a speed loader 6 more real quick. Never had to do that though. Most of the hand gun shots are at 20 yards or less. Thats the real reason to use it so you dont have to re-load your mzzldr for a lousy 10 yard shot on a doe. I have no doubt a .357 would do the job at 20-30 yards. Especially well placed. I have a .357 but too short to hunt with. Lots a power though. .357 is smallest legal caliber in Iowa so someone has done some homework to establish that I suppose. When I'm head hunting I dont bother with the handgun. But when meat hunting, it's the "go to" gun for me. I wish Iowa had a handgun only season. But we dont. They are just legal weapons for the gun seasons.

[huntingmike]

I carry a 44 cal. SS rep. black powder pistol for back up on MZL hunts. I have taken 3 deer with it. I only use it when multiple deer give follow up shots when there is no time to reload the savage. The longest shot was a buck at 50 yards. The bullet was recovered under the skin on the off shoulder.

[whyohe]

thats interesting mike! In PA , we can only use a 50cal or larger BP pistol.

[huntingmike]

Whyohe,
Our regulation in TN is .40 cal or larger.

[Rifleman]

I have killed around 50 deer with handguns. 8 with 357 mag. Key with 357 is bullet selection, I like 158 JSP's as the hollowpoints open a little quick for my taste. Killed at ranges to 100 yds, no problem. Used an 8 in colt trooper mk3 with 2x, nice combo but deer do tend to act like a bow shot,allthough I never had to track one more then 100 yds.
44 mag is much better, I like the 180 gr Rem JHP handloaded to 1600 fps, from a 7.5 in barrel. Killed most deer with this combo out to 200 yds. This takes alot of practice, but doable. Scope was 2x Leupy. I prefer the 180 over 240s as drop is less and flight time is substantial less, cutting lead on moving deer. I do not recommend moving shots unless you are ready to shoot several thousand rounds in practice as I did. Killed one deer with Desert Eagle in 44 mag. This gun would not function 180's well as port pressure dropped off to fast, so used a handload with a 210 sierra. This bullet was real hard and I hit the deer 5 times , all pass thrus before he dropped. Never used the pistol again, as it was to bulky to and difficult to shoot in the field as well as my revolvers. Allthough on paper from a bench it was a little more accurate. I do believe a 7.5 in revolver in 44 mag with a 2x scope is a very fine deer gun, with range determined by shooter skill. I have a Rem XP100R with a 2-8 Leupy on it in 7mm-08. I have not hunted with it yet, but it should do well to 300 yds off bipod. Not handy at all but will make a nice gun from a stand. One gun often overlooked is the 10mm. A Glock 10mm would be a great deer gun. Load choice would be important and I would not be happy with factory loads allthough they would be lethal they would limit range. Better choice would be to match up a reload with the performance of the original norma 10mm loads that they came up with when Col Cooper was developing the Bren 10. Now that was an awesome round. Significant increase in performance over todays current standard loadings. A Glock 10mm with a trigger job, skeleton type scope mount, 2 x scope, and High performance handloads would be an awesome gun. I suppose 150 yds would be a very reasonable max effective range, perhaps a tad further. I better be careful or I will talk myself into a new project,LOL.
Don't overlook the 41 mag as it is a serious contender to the 44 mag, just peruse some ballistic tables. Only real advantage I found the 44 has with lighter bullets is that the ammo/brass is cheaper and a wider selection of bullets in the 44. I set up a Ruger Redhawk 41 mag with an Aimpoint for a customer years ago and it was one sweet piece.

[getonit]

Before the MLII became the "go to gun" for firearms season here I used my .357 Dan Wesson 8" bbl with a 4x scope for many years- they are possibly the most accurate pistols I have owned- got my deer every year - you just have to make sure your aim is right on- I compare it to a bow shot- watch out for the scapula or other large bones and you will normally kill it- I have taken deer to 140 yds - at that range 2 bullets passed through and 2 stayed in (remington 158gr.JHP) - I prefer to stay in the 75 yd range but I know I can reach out a little bit with confidence if I do my part...

[whyohe]

getonit, i had a dan wesson 44 mag target revolver with the interchangeable barrels and had a 8" and 10 ". with the 10 " i could keep a 3 " group at 100 yards with a 4x scope. it was a VERY accurate revolver but was a bit heavy to carry for hunting at 9 LBs. so we parted ways.

[wilmsmeyer]

A 9 lb revolver?? Is that possible?

[whyohe]

the 10" barrel was almost 2# on its own. and that was loaded. granted it was on a bathroom scale too. it was a target frame and was very heavy. actually the barrel measures 10 1/2" over all. sold it in 95, kept pulling pants down in the woods while walking ;D

[orion]

I have shot a few deer and other smaller critters with handguns, and my favorite to date is the Ruger Super Blackhawk bisley model with a 71/2 bbl. in 45 LC. You can load this gun up beyond the original colt loads and it is really a thumper. The longer barrel makes it a whole lot easier to hit stuff than the more portable guns. My other hunter is the Thompson Contender in 45-70 with a 11" bbl. and 2x Leupold. That is really not a pistol in my book more a sawed off rifle but hey it splits the difference between a cake shot with a rifle or mz loader and a real pistol which at times can be a real task to hit stuff at any distance (without scope).

As far as the .357, I have never shot a deer with one, but know an awfull lot of people who have. It is my belief that a .357 with 158 grain (soft point or hard cast flat point bullets at reasonable range) is way more effective than a bow and arrow with broad heads (this could open up a good discussion), from the people I know and my experiance shooting deer with broadheads.

Whilms, I have toyed with the idea of sawing off a Savage MZ and turning it into a pistol. I don't know the regulations on that as far as turning a rifle into a pistol. I think one of the various thumbhole stocks could be modified. Also it would interesting to see what powders would work and the resultant velocities.

[buckey]

Mad Max with 180 XTP Hornady's. ADD a 15in barrel (Encore) some Whitetails, and you have dinner

[northny]

Back in the day, before accurate slug guns with rifled barrels, I went to handgun hunting in NY Southern Tier as soon as it became legal (1985?) . I had done a lot of long distance target shooting (200 yard metal pigs) with pistols so distances in the woods were not an issue. .357 Maximum (180 grain) seemed to get the job done every time. I used either a Conterder with 10 inch barrel with 2x EER scope, or Dan Wesson revolver with iron sights. I carried a 44 mag, but never got a chance to shoot deer with it (it busted a few coyotes). I used many of the same stands as bowhunting, and shots ranged from 5 to 35 yards. Got away from handgun hunting when I put a Hastings rifled barrel on my Rem 1100 with 2x EER scope on it.

[northny]

A friend of mine each year tried to fill his doe tag with his carry .45 ACP and his carry ammo.(Winchester JHPs) He kept his shots to 25 yards or less, and as a result did not get an opportunity every year, but the deer he shot did not go far. No exit holes, and the recovered bullets mushroomed well and stayed mostly intact.

[ozark]

Since becoming an adult I have lost one deer that was seriously wounded. That was with a .357 Smith and Wesson revolver. I accept blame because I didn't select a good hunting bullet. The second mistake was following the blood trail (enormous amount) immediately. The shot was only fifteen yards and the hit was just behing the right shoulder. I just couldn't believe the deer could last five minutes. The more that developed the worse I felt. The deer had laid down about 100 yards from where shot. Still plenty of blood left at the bed and through a large thicket. Then it crossed an old road and the blood stopped completely. My wife and I circled the area throughly all afternoon but found no more blood or deer. If I had waited an hour before following, If I had used a more effective bullet, If I had had doubts of a quick kill, if, if, if. Anyway that broke me from being a pistol deer hunter. I thought my job was to make a good boiler room hit at close range and I would realize success. I failed and I am ashamed. Please don't remind me of this goof. I wish I could erase it from being a reality of my past. But..........................................

[whyohe]

Ozark, in a way I'm glad you feel that way . it shows the respect you have for the animal and the desire for a clean quick kill and that is the way to be. BUT the longer you hunt the greater chance this is going to happen AT LEAST once. i had that happen with a 44mag rifle shot. it was a bad shot by me for what ever i did wrong when i pulled the trigger or possibly i hit a branch i didn't see threw the scope, either way I tracked this deer for 3 hours and 2 + miles. I too found it hard to believe it could have gone that far with all the blood i found and the 3 beds i found. I too should have probably waited to track it but i figured it cant be much further. At the end it was going up a steep hill threw some thick brush. I fell bad for the animal. I did not use that gun till i got more accurate with it( i has a 3 inch grp at 100 yards) and ended up getting a deer with it after that. the thing i learned with help from the people on this board is DON'T BEAT YOUR SELF UP. you didn't intend that to happen and you did your best to recover the animal, which is more than what alot would do. I hope the feelings when you think of that don't hurt as bad. you are a good shot and a good teacher. we learn from life's good and bad experiences and as long as we learn there is a plus.

[ozark]

Whyohe, I selected a boy to do a mans work and it pointed out the folly of doing so. I had a .270 in the treestand with me. I just followed an urge to play at a serious task. Like I mentioned, had I been prepared with an effective hunting bullet then things would have been different. Rifleman mentions in his post above that the .357 requires a bullet properly designed for the job. It wasn't a trophy buck. Just a forkhorn yearling wasted because of my ignornance.

[thelefthand]

I've used an Encore in 7-08 and a 44 mag contender with good results. I'd really like to take a nice doe with my 45 Kimber. Not legal here, but given the chance I'd take it at 15 yards or less. I generally stick 200gr +P Black hills ammo (hdy XTP) in it during the fall, and I'm confident that it would be more than adequate out to 50 yards. I rarely trade the chance to kill one with my ML10-II though.

[mshm99]

In our camp,we have three different flavors of hand cannons. I use a 12" Bullberry Contender in 357-44 Baines Davis,150 gr.spire point 2150 fps. They go down in less than 50 yds.

14" T/C custom shop Contender in 300 whisper ,110 gr. barnes tsx ,2200-2300 fps. Hi BC ,quick kills

15" Bullberry Encore in 460 S&W mag. .308 velocities with a 200 TSX. Not for the novice.

IMO,I don't have much faith in 44 mags. Have lost too many well shot deer because of no blood trail. Bullets tend to be either too hard or too soft. Very little shock.

All these are legal in IL.

mshm

[northny]

I have killed several deer with 357 Maximum from a Dan Wesson revolver, a few more from with same caliber in 10in and 14 inch contender. Found the 158 grain jhp harder on barrels, but better on deer than the 180 jhp. Ranges less than 75 yards. (most less than 40 hunting thick stuff from tree stands). I used the same discipline as bow hunting, if i did not get the shot I wanted, I let the deer walk.

Went to a 44 mag, but for a lot more recoil it did not seem to kill them any better (6inch S&W) Since it is not uncommon to encounter bear, it is my carry gun for scouting and hiking.

I had a buddy in the southern tier who wanted to test his carry gun, He put a lot of work and time into it, and he set up a ground blind and eventually shot a doe in the chest at 10 yards as she faced him head on. His 45 colt auto with winchester silver tip did well. the recovered bullet mushroomed nicely, and the doe went about 30 yards before stopping and then collapsing. He was not sure it proved anything, but last I knew he had still had the bullet at his camp.

Overall, I found I have to put a lot of lead down range before the season to be consistent hitting with a pistol. And if I take a break from shooting hand guns at longer distances, my performance deteriorates substantially, much more dramatically than I have ever seen with a rifle.

Bottom line, once I got back to hunting in rifle country, hunting with a hand gun lost its appeal. I can easily out shoot my best handgun groups with any of my rifle.

[joe21a]

I have taken 3 with the Dan Wesson 8" in 357. I use 140 gr. hp. Works real well. My other short deer rifle is a Ruger Black Hawk 6" that. shoots the 357/44mag, Hits hard,recoil like a 41 mag and shoots flatter than either a 44 or 41 mag. The Black hawk started life as a 357mag and I also took a couple with it in 357. With much practice it is very accurate to 125 yards.

[boarhog]

I have a scoped Ruger Super Blackhawk, 44 mag, 10" barrel. The 4 or 5 deer I've shot with it were all passthroughs, with good blood trails. All shots were between 25 and 50 yds, and were with several different bullets. 240 and 300 gr XTP, 240 gr Remington, and 250 gr Keith style hard cast lead. I haven't hunted with it much lately, due to needing better hearing protection that will let me hear the deer walking. The Caldwell Cheapo electronic muffs I have protect ok, but I can't hear other sounds well.

[cfvickers]

Well, I started a little big on hunting handguns but the barrel was a gift and came with brass, bullets and dies so, Hey! I will take it. Mine is an Encore Pistol with a 12 inch .480 Ruger barrel. I also got a scope with it but that doesn't work too well for me so I took a set of fiber optic sights off another TC that would fit and went back to open sights. I like it, and can shoot it well with open sights out to 50 yards, further with a rest, but recoil is excessive with anything but the mildest loads. I once bought a taurus .357 but didn't much care for it. I have not yet killed a deer with it but when I had the scope on it I missed a deer from 22 feet. I had just gotten it and found that I was pulling downward when squeezing the trigger without a bench rest setup. This is the first time I had fired it without a bench. Bottom line, I was unprepared and didn't have nearly enough practice and had not held my accuracy standards to the point I should. this was two years ago and I have just started to really learn to shoot it.

I am a rifle guy and I am quite good with self defense handguns, a skill learned in the military when rifle shooting was not as feasible. But I am wanting to kill a deer with a handgun.

[farmallm51]

I've hunted with a Ruger Super Blackhawk and a Redhawk for the past 15 years. I've never had an issue with either gun both are iron sights. I've got a new one to try. It's a T/C Contender with a 10" 7-30 Waters barrel. I still have to put glass on it. Has anyone hunted with the 7-30 Waters? Does anyone have any suggestions for a scope? Most of my shooting will be 100 to 150 yards in pretty open country (cut corn and soybeans)

[mike3132]

The last two years Ive been using a Ruger Super Redhawk 454 Casull with 7 1/2 barrel and Nikon 2x. I use hand loads and down loaded it to shoot a 250 XTP @ 1500fps. Recoil is close to a full power 44 mag. I also added a Hogue Tamer grip and that really helped recoil with high end loads. Mike

[rugermag]

Hi I am a newly registerd member that can't figure out how to create a thread or post. Can you help an old dumbie? Thanks,
[e-mail]

[mike3132]

Welcome, at the top of the page of each forum there is a link that says new thread, click that and fill in the blanks. Mike

[pposey]

Shot one deer with the Ruger GP100 in .357, ran about 50 yards and died, couple hogs and a deer with the Glock20 in 10mm, they did the same thing,,,,

[Harley]

I hunt extensively with the T/C Contender G2, 14" barrel, in 30-30 WCF. I've done (and had done) a lot of modifications to it, including re-crowning the barrel, re-cutting the chamber, installing heavier springs and adjusting the headspace. I have custom laminated grips that fit my hand and am using the Burris 3-12X32 Ballistic Plex scope.

This setup groups reliably within a pie plate circle at 300 yards; the continuing problem I have is that the sub-cross hairs are so short that they can't be seen at 300 yards in dim light. Apparently, no one is making a better scope, though, so that's the deal for now.

Since tearing my rotator cuff, I can no longer tolerate the upward recoil of this pistol, so it's being fitted for an integral muzzle brake that should eliminate 90% of that upward motion. I don't know what it'll cost in terms of reduced muzzle velocity.

Harley