[Big Mike]

Who all here hunts with handguns? Oregon allows using a handgun but with certain circumstances, times and bullet widths. What do you use? Mike

[dakotasin]

pre-sellout s&w 686...357 mag. keep my range short and the hornady xtp works fine.

been kicking the idea around of scoping it...may happen.

[meathammer]

I've only handgun hunted once. I used my Redhawk .44 mag, 5.5" on hogs down in Missouri. It did the job pretty well with Winchester 240gr. jacketed soft points. I have more experience hunting with a rifle. A bigger challenge with a handgun, for me at least. What are you going to be hunting?

[critter]

I LOVE hunting whitetails with a handgun. I have used a Ruger Redhawk in .44 mag and now I use (mostly) a TC Contender in 30-30 Win. I want to take one with my Ruger Bisley in .45 Colt.

So far (knock wood) ALL have been ONE SHOT STOPS as I find I pick my shots VERY CAREFULLY with a handgun.

I have also hunted black bear with the handgun but have not scored.

Try it-it is a BLAST!

[PALongbow]

I just started last year handgun hunting here in PA with my Ruger Super Redhawk 44 mag. I didn't take the experts advice and leave the darn rifle at home. I ended up shooting a doe with my rifle last year instead of using my revolver which I had with me while hunting that day.

This year the rifle is staying home. I will listen to the handgun hunting experts advice this year.

Ron

[mete]

As far as deer the 44mag works very well, it's about twice as effective as the 357. As for more powerfull cartridges they have recoil that most can't control. First develop a load that will give no more than 1 1/2" groups at 25 yds. Forget the 300 gr bullets , stick to 200-240 gr. Then practice, practice ,practice, because bullet placement is the most important. Also find the maximum distance that you can consistantly hit , under field conditions, the vital area of a deer ( a 10" circle) then limit your hunting to that range.

[Fabrat]

I have hunted with handguns for the better part of the last decade. I have used a Super Blackhawk with Sierra 240 JHP's and a T/C Contender in 7-30 Waters. Both guns are set up with red dot sights. Since I tend to hunt in the heavy woods, all of my shots are limited to 50 yards or less. All the deer that I have shot have dropped in their tracks. Use quality ammo and concentrate on shot placement. Happy hunting.

[Steve in PA]

A scoped 2x6 Ruger Super Redhawk 9 1/2" .44mag......using handloaded Hornady XTP bullets. Have taken several deer.....and hoping to get a PA black bear one of these days.

PALongbow........ya gotta leave the rifle at home bud!! :)

[keano44]

Ruger SBH .44 Mag. w/Hornady 240gr. HP/XTP & H110. Know your limitations and stick within them (higher responsibility factor, similar to bowhunting). I don't claim to be an expert, but experience has proven to me that I had to leave the rifle home to finally get one with the handgun. Its too easy to choose the rifle when the time comes. Have taken deer and hogs.

[TNT]

I have the bad habit of grabbing the shotgun instead of the handgun. I only took the Ruger 480 out once:banghead: I'll have to try getting a deer this fall with it.

[Big Mike]

meat,

I do not have a handgun to hunt with(big bore) but have always thought it would be more challenging. Around here in So. Oregon there is lots of deer, bear and cougar that can be had with handguns (per the new regs). I have yet to get a deer but this year I'm hoping to get one. Anything bigger will be with a rifle, 30-06.

Looks like the .44 mag is represented here well. How about the 10mm? Has anyone hunted with this?

Thanks for the replies.

Mike

[Roadrunner]

Started a couple of years ago with my scoped Lone Eagle 7mm-08 for whitetail deer. One doe with the LE, the others taken with my rifle.

[TallPine]

Sure thinking about it ...

Took my deer last year at 15 yards with a scoped rifle - now isn't that kind of crazy?

Could have been closer, but I shot him before he could step on my feet. :)

[PALongbow]

Steve & keano44,

I didn't take your advice and leave the rifle at home. Shame on me and I promise it won't happen this year....LOL!

Ron

[MCNETT]

I have taken a deer with my 4" GP-100 with 150gr Nosler JSP handloads. Mostly, though I hunt with my G20. I have taken several deer and two black bear with 200XTP 200WFN, and 180XTP handloads. I have never recovered a 10mm bullet from one of these animals! (complete penetration)
-Mike

[Smoke]

I've shot a couple of hogs with a 1911 does that count?

Also dispatched a stray dog and a couple of feral cats with the same gun.

[HBK]

MCNETT: DId I read that right, you killed bear with your 10mm? Would a Glock 29 work for that also?

[nygunguy]

The long gun has to stay home.

I started hunting with my SRH two years ago and haven't yet scored.

This year I always had the SRH strapped on and usually carried it exclusively. The only time I took the long gun I walked up on a nice doe that was well within my comfortable SRH range. I stood there trying to decide whether or not to drop the long gun and pull out the SRH. I used the long gun.

This year the LG stays in camp.

[JOE MACK]

I've been handgun hunting the better part of thirty years. Took my first little forky mule deer with a S&W 29 that had a 6&1/2 inch barrel. He never knew what hit him as he was concentrating on a hot doe. From there, I went strictly to the .41Magnum. I've taken everything from armidillos to wildebeeste with one. I like to hunt with a handgun like I bowhunt for the most part. I was taught to get as close as possible, then get a little closer. I find it a fun hobby and more of a challenge than rifle hunting. Call it bowhunting with the smell of gunpowder.:D Good luck in your hunts and practice, practice, practice. Especially from field expedient positions like kneeling, roll-over prone, with a rest like a tree or rock, and of course... off hand when it's the only shot presented. RKBA!

[Legionnaire]

I've hunted with handguns, but am not dedicated to it. I've taken two deer, one each with a Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 mag and a T/C Encore in .243. The buck shot with the .44 dropped in his tracks. The doe shot with the .243 ran 50 yards before piling up.

Really depends on how much time I've had at the range prior to the season, and where I'm hunting. I won't go past 50 yards with the handguns (although both are capable of very good accuracy ... I'm not, under field conditions). If I'm going to be hunting where longer shots are possible, I'm likely to take my slug gun or (where legal) my rifle.

[MCNETT]

Yes, I have taken two black bear 200+lbs with my G20. I think that with the right load and good shot placement, someone could take one with a G29.
-Mike

[mohican]

I've killed deer with .357 & .44 magnums. Bought a rifled barrel NEF 12 ga several years ago and did some long gun hunting with slugs. This year its back to handgun, .454 Casull!

[HankB]

I've taken a couple of deer with a .357. No problem. Used a 150 grain Sierra JHC in a heavy handload. With a revolver you have to get closer and pick your shots, since a .357 doesn't have the power or penetraton of, say, a .30/06.

I just regarded myself as a bowhunter with a compact - albeit noisy - bow. ;)

[Dr.Rob]

I've done some handgun hunting, mostly small game with a Ruger mk 2.

I bought my 44 after i found my self packing out a quartered elk, ran into another cow elk some 10 yards away. You can imagine my shame. Dead elk on packframe, valid cow tag in pocket, pistol on hip not big game legal. No joy in mudville.

So when I got back from that trip I found myself buying a Ruger Vaquero 44 magnum-- Really more of a cowboy gun than a hunter, but I started a trend.

Soon everyone in Elk camp was packing a 44, the most popular being a Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter model. My hunting buddies load these monsters with 300 gr hornady XTP custom loads that are a tad... STRONG.

I usually load a 240gr Winchester soft point in mine. call me sane but any recipe that loosens scope rings and unscrews barrels can't be safe.

However, since the handgun hunting craze has caught on, dad's been buying Dan Wesson and Ruger 357 Maximum revovers, I may borrow one of his to go after a deer this fall. That's a 180 gr bullet doing like 1650 fps!!!

Can you say:what:

[ftw46]

I have not carried a rifle in the last two deer seasons. I have a Contender in 7-30 Waters,One in .41 Mag and a Blackhawk in .41 Mag also. One Contender is scoped, one has a Red Dot and the Blackhawk is open sights. I carry each depending on where and how I plan on hunting that day.

I have taken all the deer I wanted the last two years and never felt like I was handicapped.

It makes the hunting a lot more fun to me.

[techmike]

I went deer hunting with a handgun first time last year. Got a nice little Buck. Great Fun. Have been hunting tree rats with a MK2 since I was a kid.

[aerod1]

I also use a 44 mag Ruger Super Redhawk with a 9 1/2" barrel. It has a 2x6 Bushnell Trophy on it. i consider it a very good rig for Whitetails.

Jim Hall

[PALongbow]

I went to the range today with my 44 Mag Super Redhawk and I practiced at various different yardages while shooting from every imaginable position and with or without a rest. I couldn't believe how good I was shooting today mostly off hand with no rest and how my concentration improved.

I took about three months off from actual shooting becase I was developing a flinch during the winter months, however the flinch actually started just after hunting season last year, and I knew dry firing and time away from shooting would cure the problem. It worked wonderful and I'm back on track and ready to harvest my first whitetail with this revolver.....can't wait!

Ron

[Steve in PA]

Good to hear PALongbow.

I usually don't drag out my SRH until the fall rolls around. During the summer months I'm too busy shooting my duty weapons and M1.

I used to take big sheets of cardboard....about 3x4 feet I guess and paste one of those colored archery targets on them.......the kind that are real pictures of deer, bear etc........and shoot at them. Kinda fun.....gives you something lifelike to shoot at instead of a regular target.

[PALongbow]

Steve,

I did the very same thing last year before hunting season. Its alot of fun shooting at deer targets. I took some masking tape and taped over the holes so I knew where I was hitting at each practice session. I made swiss cheese of that last target. Time to get a new one. For the most part the holes were in the vitals.

I thought the deer targets were easier to shoot because you were aiming right behind the shoulder instead of a tiny dot on a regular target. I got less target panic shooting at the deer target.

Ron

[sm]

Yes, I enjoy this-open sights for me.

[Steve in PA]

Funny how that works, huh Ron?? First time I shot at those targets I was suprised at how good my groupings were. I expected them to have opened up a bit since I wasn't sighting in on a circle or dot........but they were nice.

[Johnny Guest]

Most with .45 ACP, a couple with .45 Colt, and one with .357.

The bow hunting analogy is a good one. Max range is that at which you can virtually guarantee a hit on an ten-inch paper plate FROM FIELD POSITION. Bench rest doesn't count. :D

Good luck.
Johnny

[gbran]

Other than bird hunting, most of my hunts are with handguns. I've taken a few longshots (darn few) in my life, but most of my big game has been not much over 100 yds, and usually less. I can do that with my handgus. Why lug a big rifle? I use a .22 mag revolver on small critters and a 454 SRH with various loads on all big critters. Now I can carry my shotgun for upland game birds and hunt big or small game at the same time with a handgun.