What Handgun for hunting deer?

sparkyv said:

This thread has been a great read. I enjoy reading about experiences from the guys who've actually handgun hunted. I hope to one day be able to do this. I'm ready when and if the opportunity presents itself.

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Do you have a handgun of hunting?

Yup. Various 10mm, M629, S&W460V and plenty of handloads.

WisBorn said:

Do you have a handgun of hunting?

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I have multiple stories of my handgun deer hunting experiences. It seems every deer I got with my .357 has a worthy story attached to it. I think Illinois had a 'handgun only late (January) season for about eight years before they changed it to 'late season' and allowed any legal firearm.(handgun, slug gun, or muzzleloader.) I was fully invested in. 357 revolvers and carbine. Casting and reloading equipment.
All my stories might make a good "how to tag a deer the hard way" thread ......
My experiences led me to buy a 7½ inch ruger Blackhawk in. 45colt. For deer hunting, juuuust before Illinois changed to 'any legal firearm. After that, I used a long gun of some sort.

I use a kkm match barrel and stainless guide rod with heavy spring in my 6 inch Glock. Use a colt Delta a lot too. Picked up a sig 220 last year but didn't get to use it, I used my 44 instead last year. Ive killed many deer with a 10mm. More than most id say. We have unlimited doe tags and I usually keep a bunch canned. Its a long way from the 44 though. 100 yard deer gun? If your very good sure. Most aren't. I see folks miss a B29 targets from 25 yards....all the time with a handgun. Guys miss with scoped rifles at 100 all the time. On average....people can't shoot very well.

In my state we have no special season for handgun. I wish muzzle loader season allowed them. I think people might learn to shoot a bit better if they did. But even muzzle loader is only a week or two compared to over a month of rifle and bow. I only started handgun hunting because rifle season was pretty boring. When you can count 50 deer in a hunt then the challenge is long gone unless you only care about horns. I dont. Never ate a horn .

Any .44 or .45 caliber revolver that you can mount a red dot on and shoot heavy for caliber bullets (300-345 gr) at 1250 fps. Sight in dead on at 75 yards and your bullet will never be more than 1½" high or low out to 90, and only 3 inches low at 100 yards. Anything further away than that, and you are just rifle hunting with a handgun. The idea is to get close with a handgun. Here is one of mine.

Forgot to say the Red Dot's are key. Lightning fast acquisition, (no back and forth like a scope), easy on aging eyes, (I can see them without my glasses on), and once they're sighted in, they are just plain deadly. (just put the dot on what you want to hit and squeeze the trigger), and they are plenty good to 100 yards if you get even a halfway decent one. My Eotech was the first, and despite the weight, I refuse to take it off, because it's just plain ass deadly. However, since the introduction of other more lightweight options, I am thinking of replacing it. I've used Sight Marks with great success, Burris Fastfire's are good as well, but since I got a Vortex Venom, I really like that the most I think. (that one I put on a Kimber Adirondack in 300 Blackout)

crestoncowboy said:

According to Smiths literature about the 460 at its release the 460 lined just high at 100 is only 7 inches low at 250. So a 250 round hold is still on the animal. Its insane.

Of course that was using their flextip 200 grain bullet IIRC. I didn't care for it. Recoil with the 200gr bullet was well under a 4 inch 44 mag though

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Had a 500 then the 460 with a scope on top. Pretty much a small rifle and weight is extremely unpleasant. Dependent upon regions you hunt- I’ll stay with normal size Handguns. My Xp 100 at least has ability to put a sling on to it.

Lnf Crzr said:

Had a 500 then the 460 with a scope on top. Pretty much a small rifle and weight is extremely unpleasant. Dependent upon regions you hunt- I’ll stay with normal size Handguns. My Xp 100 at least has ability to put a sling on to it.

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Yeah. I had shelved mine for 10 or more years until my daughter wanted to hunt from a stand. I figure the weight doesn't matter since I didn't take my rifle to sit with her. Still it's a hip carried revolver with incredible range.

The 500 didn't impress me much since I had the 460 first. I got one later for a decent price and still have both x frames (both with 8 and whatever inch barrels) but id easily choose the 460 over the 500. I wouldn't trade my 44 for either though. And I certainly wouldn't recommend the 460 for a first time handgun hunter. I hip carry. Not chest carry or slung pistol. And I have a few of the single shot "handgun" barrels but don't care for those either. They fall into the might as well carry a rifle category (again though we don't have a handgun only season, if we did I might actually carry my Thompson "handgun". My opinion of them might change. )

sparkyv said:

Yup. Various 10mm, M629, S&W460V and plenty of handloads.

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I would make two recommendations for deer hunting with a handgun.
1) Take the handgun as your only firearm. In Wisconsin and other states you can carry both a rifle and handgun at the same time. It is to easy to grab the rifle and fill your tags.
2) Set up in stands that limit your distance to less than your comfort level with the handgun. If you see a wall hanger at 150 yards and your comfort level is 50 yards you will not be committed to the handgun.

Just a thought....

Pivot Dr said:

First choice is my Contender 35 Remington.

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I have the Super 14 barrel. Great for walking trails and stalking. I need to get my trigger set worked on before Spring, though. I'm getting some hammer drops when the action closes.

crestoncowboy said:

I have a few of the single shot "handgun" barrels but don't care for those either. They fall into the might as well carry a rifle category (again though we don't have a handgun only season, if we did I might actually carry my Thompson "handgun". My opinion of them might change. )

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The whole trick to having several handgun barrels, like anything else, is quality. I bought my Encore off a guy who had the 14" or 15" .308 barrel on it. I shot it about 3 times, took it off, and sold it. Way too ridiculous for my 100 yard Eastern Hardwood hunting. I had my Custom .357 Mag barrel made to my specs right down to the twist rate. It's 9.5" long. A very portable gun extremely lethal to at least 100 yards. Don't compare that to a rifle. You only need enough barrel on a handgun to maximize your powder burn. That's the way I look at it. Too long, and friction slows down the bullet. My longest handgun barrel is my 7.62X39 bored to .308. It's 11 inches long. I haven't shot it past 100 yds, but I'm sure it's probably on the money to almost twice that. Between those two and my Super Blackhawk in .44 mag, there's nothing this side of the Mississippi I can't take down under 100 yards.

I've killed Deer with the 357, 44 Magnum, 45 ACP and just recently with a 40 S&W. The 357 and 44 were with revolvers with iron sights and Keith Type SWC cast from clip-on wheelweights. The revolver kills were planned that way. The 45 ACP was with a Speer 200 grain JHP and the 40 S&W was with a factory Remington Golden Sabre. The 40 and 45 kills were just because an opportunity presented itself while I had my concealed carry pistol with me.

With iron sights I restrict my shots to Bow range. All of the above Deer were at 25 yards or closer and all of them ran off for short distances.

I have hunted with several different types of handguns over the years. The TC has a failing, when you pull the hammer back the internal hammer block drops, with a clack. You never hear it at he range with ear protection, but let that happen with a deer at 10’ and the explosion by a big buck in instant. Revolvers have cylinder locks and sears that click and clack. BF has a hammer, MOA has a hammer The quietest, fastest lock time, most accurate hunting handgun is the Merrill or XL by RPM, a single shot, I have owned them in 10” 22, 7mm x 357 SM, 30-20, 30 Merrill, 30-30 and 357 MAG. Put a pistol scope on the very accurate cartridges and you have a 300 yard gun. Jim Rock made some in the JDJs. They work real well in 30-30 with the Speer flat nose on deer and wild hogs. On a 350 pound wild boar, on the charge at 30 feet, the bullet entered between the eyes and stopped in the left ham, over 18” of penetration, the size of a quarter at 95% retention. They are a great handgun with a 1911 grip angle, if you can find one for sale.
Today my normal carry gun for deer hunting is one of my Smith M-19s with a 162g RCBS SWC very hard cast over a stout load of H-110. I try to keep shots to under 100 yards, old silhouette 4 gun competitor. Consistent shot placement is 98% of handgun hunting, you must be able to overcome nerves.

This is my old 6” five T gun with ivorx grips, it had a good finish before it was parkerized, for hunting. It is deadly on deer and hogs, plus light for carry in a cross draw Andrews Leather rig.

I have taken deer with T/C Contenders in 30-30, .357SM, .44Mag, 445 SM and .375 Winchester. The last 2 deer I have taken were with a FA 353 in .357 magnum. I hunt in thick cover so most of my shots are 40 yards of less.

That 353 is one of the very best revolvers ever made.

Personally I would go with 44 Mag, there are more powerful cartridges but I don't think there's a better all around big bore than the .44 Mag. I have a 7.5" Super Blackhawk Hunter Bisley and a 6.5" 629 Deluxe. The 357 Mag would work too but the nod still goes to the .44 if I had to choose just one . Pretty much any service caliber will work fine, like a .40 or .45 but I feel the revolvers are easier to shoot longer range than semi autos. The main issue for most people is if they're able to be accurate enough with their handgun, most people are rather bad shots with handguns up close, let alone at anything over 25 yards, that's the biggest factor. Deer aren't tanks but you still need good shot placement.

My old T/C Contender is one of the most fun handguns I've ever owned. I've killed several deer with it and a 10" 30-30 barrel. The surprise is, that 10" 30-30 Contender barrel, scoped, shot groups as good as any hunting rifle I have! I've won some bets with it...

The 10" barrel was so darn accurate, I decided to buy a 14" version with the intention of having it chambered in a more powerful .30 wildcat, the .308 Bellm. I figured I'd better test it for accuracy before sending it off for rechambering. It shot even better than the 10" barrel. I decided to keep it as-is.

Truth is, the 10" barrel is much easier handling and does a fine job on deer at the ranges I normally encounter them in the Adirondacks. The Contender still feels like a pistol with a 10" barrel mounted. It feels like something in between a pistol and rifle with the 14" barrel attached. The Contender with a 10" iron-sighted barrel carries nicely in a chest holster. I like it with sling swivels and a sling when I have the scoped 14" barrel on it. Either way, it's an impressive firearm that is a joy to carry in the woods. I added a 10" .22LR Match and 10" .45/.410 barrel to the line-up.

Great thread guys- my take is that revolvers compared to Encores is really apples and oranges. Both work fantastic if the operator is proficient....but the Encore with rifle ammo will far exceed the revolvers when it comes to horsepower. .....and "reach out there"
....not that handgun hunting is a long range deal.

Savage just dropped a new bolt action pistol (didn’t revive the old Striker moniker, for some reason - which I assume is because it’s a rear grip). Worth looking at. Nosler NCH is awesome, but pricey. Old XP’s and Strikers are around.

The Grendel in a Contender/Encore is a slick little pistol. The speculation shared here about blast and wasted potential in a short barrel are silly to me - small cases like the Grendel are the cornerstone of the specialty pistol paradigm. I’ve built a few 7” and 12” Grendels, and performance is everything you’d want for a hunting pistol.

For a hunting revolver, the Super Redhawk is really the pinnacle for utility and performance. I’m a big 44mag fan, but in SRH’s, I shoot 454’s. With a FastFire III on top, this Toklat might be my favorite belt gun I have ever owned.



My 44mag hunting revolvers are Super Blackhawks. My first hunting revolver of my own, a 44mag SBH - I stoke 300grn XTP’s over 24grn H110/W296, seated to the second cannelure, reaching about 1350fps from this 7.5” barrel - it’s dangerous for deer out to 150 from a bogpod PSR on a TriggerStick, farther when I’m well practiced.



Here’s my most recent Striker. Not quite finished in it’s pictured form - I hadn’t added the Arca rail on bottom yet. But it’s a 516 Savage Striker rebarreled with a shouldered (no nut) 15” Proof Competition Contour barrel chambered in 6 Creedmoor by Schur Firearms of Bennington, KS, dropped into a Jim Rockwell grip stock, topped with a 20MOA Nightforce rail and 40moa of shims in Burris Signature XTR rings, holding a Bushnell Elite Tactical DMR II 3.5-21x50mm with a FFP G3 reticle, and an Area419 Hellfire out front. Getting 105’s to 2550fps means I can reach 1000yrds before falling sub-Sonic, and from a field support, any deer within a quarter mile is in grave danger.

I started handgun hunting more than 30 years ago with a open Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 Magnum. The handgun was sighted dead on at 100 yards, as is all my scoped handguns. I’ve taken several deer with this handgun, none more than 100 yards.

I also hunt with a non-scoped Ruger Super Blackhawk in .44 Magnum. This is my short range hunting handgun; sighted in for 50 yards. I can hit what I aim at from 100 yards, but I usually carry this in places where 50 yards is as far as I can see. I did add a Burris Fastfire 3 a couple of years ago because it was becoming harder to cleanly see the front sight with aging eyes.

The last several years has me hunting with a scoped T/C Contender in 7-30 Waters. This handgun shoots like a laser. I would be hard pressed not to choose this handgun for my one and only hunting handgun if I could only have one.

horsemen61 said:

Hello all,

I live and Hunt in the Great state of Missouri! Well we have here what’s called “Alternative Season” Coming up it used to be Muzzleloader Season but they have opened up the regs some in the past few years so my question is this IF you were going out to Find/buy/build a Pistol for Whitetail deer with shots ranging from 10 feet to 100 yards* What would you chose? Also I really want a scope I always do better with them

For me right now I am thinking a G2 Contender in 6.5 Grendel with a 15 inch barrel yes it’ll be a custom barrel I handload for this round already and I’ve seen what the 100 grain ttsx will do to deer so I’m confident in it

* I have a bog Tripod that has a clamp at the top so I could potentially clamp this down but at the bare minimum I will be using it as a rest so no offhand shots here I won’t take that shot with a pistol

So I ask what Say You?

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It will work!

Hangingrock said:

Deer are not that difficult to put down if you place your shots correctly.

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THIS!!!

Revolver cartridges I have used for big game in revolvers: 357 Mag, 44 Mag, and 454 Casull.
Bottleneck cartridges I have used for big game in specialty pistols...A whole lot of them!

Varminterror said:

Savage just dropped a new bolt action pistol (didn’t revive the old Striker moniker, for some reason - which I assume is because it’s a rear grip). Worth looking at. Nosler NCH is awesome, but pricey. Old XP’s and Strikers are around.

The Grendel in a Contender/Encore is a slick little pistol. The speculation shared here about blast and wasted potential in a short barrel are silly to me - small cases like the Grendel are the cornerstone of the specialty pistol paradigm. I’ve built a few 7” and 12” Grendels, and performance is everything you’d want for a hunting pistol.

For a hunting revolver, the Super Redhawk is really the pinnacle for utility and performance. I’m a big 44mag fan, but in SRH’s, I shoot 454’s. With a FastFire III on top, this Toklat might be my favorite belt gun I have ever owned.

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My 44mag hunting revolvers are Super Blackhawks. My first hunting revolver of my own, a 44mag SBH - I stoke 300grn XTP’s over 24grn H110/W296, seated to the second cannelure, reaching about 1350fps from this 7.5” barrel - it’s dangerous for deer out to 150 from a bogpod PSR on a TriggerStick, farther when I’m well practiced.

View attachment 1047519

Here’s my most recent Striker. Not quite finished in it’s pictured form - I hadn’t added the Arca rail on bottom yet. But it’s a 516 Savage Striker rebarreled with a shouldered (no nut) 15” Proof Competition Contour barrel chambered in 6 Creedmoor by Schur Firearms of Bennington, KS, dropped into a Jim Rockwell grip stock, topped with a 20MOA Nightforce rail and 40moa of shims in Burris Signature XTR rings, holding a Bushnell Elite Tactical DMR II 3.5-21x50mm with a FFP G3 reticle, and an Area419 Hellfire out front. Getting 105’s to 2550fps means I can reach 1000yrds before falling sub-Sonic, and from a field support, any deer within a quarter mile is in grave danger.

View attachment 1047506

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Nice Creed!
A friend of mine took a huge bull elk this year (not a high fence hunter) on public land with a 6 Creed XP-100.
Just thought that would put a smile on your face.