Handgun hunting

[rbernie]

Anyone here care to help a newbie to handgun hunting?

I've decided to scope my Redhawk and try using it for hunting smaller deer. I have a simple question - where can I find/learn about the most stable shooting positions for scoped handguns? If I'm shooting off an improvised rest, should I rest the butt of the grip on the rest or the barrel?

 

[Atticus]

I think your time would be best spent shooting freehand...probably from an isosceles postion. Are you stand hunting or stalking?

 

[rbernie]

I think your time would be best spent shooting freehand...probably from an isosceles postion.

That's exactly what I've been practicing so far. Seems to be pretty hard to get relatively small group sizes (modesty prevents me from admitting how bad they really are) beyond 20 yards or so.

Are you stand hunting or stalking?

The plan is to first try a tree stand (which will have very limited things to use as a rest). If I can't get the whole offhand thing down, I might try stalking with shoting sticks instead.

 

[sc1911cwp]

Many handgun hunters will advocate the use of a rest of whatever is available vs offhand if given a choice. Most try to steady the barrel whn using a rest. The reasons are as follows. Handguns are not as stable with many people as compared to rifles. Therefore, they usually move more. The sighting plane is not as long, so even the smallest of movements develop into larger groups at longer distances. So in general, many will seek to seize whatever advantage they can get to assist in shot placement. Using a scope may even intensify the problem. Many use scopes of 2x or red dots. Based on my experiance with my 610, the scope made it very difficult to shoot accurately. Now using an Ultradot, I can keep the groups very small using a rest. To gain another advantage, I had an action job performed. The forgoing does not apply to all people, but handgunning is a challenge. It is not like shooting at 7 to 10 yd targets that remain stationary. As distances increase, so does the possibility of error. The worst thing is a misplaced shot that allows game to escape injured, not recovered, or that allows suffering. Use a gun of the proper caliber for the game being hunted. Know your abilities. Be safe.

 

[critter]

USE A REST IF AT ALL POSSIBLE! Rest a hand against the side of a tree for example. One of the best (for a horizontal rest) is to rest both wrists atop a limb, 2X4 if in a stand, etc. NEVER let any part of the firearm contact the rest as it will casue the gun to 'throw' shots. Resting the grip will cause great deviation in vertical point of impact.

Scopes help because the target and crosshairs appear in the same plane. They also magnify 'wobble' which un-nerves many handgun shooters. Therefore, use low power magnification such as 2X and some even use 1X just for the in-plane views. Higher powered scopes almost require a SOLID rest.

PRACTICE till you get to be an expert then practice even more! Take shots ONLY at distances that you can CONSTANTLY place the bullet within the sure kill zone. For some, that may be 100 yds, some 75 and some may be 25, BUT you will find that handgun shot deer do not have a habit of ALWAYS falling down dead in their tracks. SO, you need to KNOW that you hit them, hit them well and you need a good blood trail so you can track them. They usually do not go far if hit well.

Shoot a gun that you CAN hit with and that WILL deliver plenty of killing power. I MUCH prefer a complete pass-
through for handgun hunting-TWO blood sources that way.

TWO BIG HOLES-IN THE KILL ZONE. That is what you want. Do whatever you can to get it and things will turn out well.

One warning: Handgun hunting is severely ADDICTIVE!

 

[Kingcreek]

I agree with critter. support your hands or forearms. 2X or less for a scope. (I do have a 4X on a 10" .22 buckmark= dedicated gopher gun!) and PRACTICE so you can get on target quickly and deliver an accurate shot. I would rather have open sights than too much scope. the 2X leupold is a good scope for deer hunting.
I walk in the woods and fields with a handgun and a pocket full of cartridges so I can shoot hedgeballs, walnuts in the creek, dirt clods, all sorts of improvised targets, under field conditions. I always carry while hunting shed antlers or mushrooms.

 

[rbernie]

One of the best (for a horizontal rest) is to rest both wrists atop a limb, 2X4 if in a stand, etc. NEVER let any part of the firearm contact the rest as it will casue the gun to 'throw' shots.

BINGO! This is the advice that I've ben seeking. Thanks to all for their help - now it's out to the garage to make a bunch of 44Mag range ammo...

FWIW, I'm starting off with my 5 1/2" Redhawk, topped with a Weaver mount and a Weaver Classic 2x28 scope.

 

[critter]

GOOD choice of equipment. Good luck and have fun!

 

[dakotasin]

i decided i needed an easier to maneuver gun for hunting in tight quarters... i got a super redhawk in 480, and topped it w/ a nikon 2x.

some things i noticed... shooting a scoped pistol does not feel natural. it takes some practice to get the proper sight picture, moreso if you are used to iron sights (scoped pistol has to be held so much lower). the tendency is to bring the gun up into what seems to be a natural (or default) position, but if you do that, you won't be looking thru the scope. it takes a little practice, but you can become quite proficient w/ it.

accuracy... from a rested position, even a field-expedient rest, the gun is accurate enough for deer out to 125 yards. thru open sights, i couldn't trust myself to a shot beyond 45 yards. at 100 yards, 4" groups are to be expected w/ the scope.

carrying the gun w/ a scope on it can be difficult. there aren't a lot of options to carry a scoped handgun. right now i am using a harness-type holster that has loops that come down and secure to the belt on both my sides. the gun is firmly held in the holster on my side just below my armpit(cross draw). however, while this method feels fine for light duty hunting and walking around, when you start going under fallen trees, traversing creeks, and climbing over rocks and such, the harness pulls hard on the belt - essentially forcing the harness to hold the gun and your pants up... too much to ask of it, and it will unsnap and leave the gun flopping. i haven't fixed this problem yet, but am thinking a button or second snap sewn into the loop will cure this.

last... a handgun is pleasant to carry in thick stuff. it is lighter, more maneuvarable (than a rifle), and w/ a good holster, your hands are free. but finding the right holster can be trying - i've tried a couple different ones and am still not 100% satisfied that what i have will work the best.

 

[rbernie]

I figured that I'd wind up with a holster like this. Will this work OK, or are there better options?

 

[Art Eatman]

Looks good. You might consider adding a leather thong later for a tie-back of some sort, to keep it from swinging free if/when you bend forward to evade brush or some such thing.

I've carried a 7-1/2" Redhawk, unscoped, in a leather holster hung cross-draw from a GI pistol belt. Worked okay. I mostly carried it during deer season when I was doing cross-country quail hunting, as it was out of the way of my shotgun...

Art

 

[Steve in PA]

I've been hunting with a scoped SRH for several years now. When sitting on stand I'll either place my elbows on my knee/thigh area or brace my forearms aganist something (logs used for a blind, etc).

I've taken two deer from the standing position, both were at about the 50yd range or so. Standing off-hand is not an easy task.

 

[JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone]

Having taken six Washington Blacktails with open sighted hand gun, I'd like to add some advice. I have taken them with a like Ruger ss Redhawk with 5 1/2" barrell and a Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley 7 1/2".

First off, if you're that bad with the big bore, then practice with a small bore first. Drop down to a Ruger MkII for cheaper practice and develop single action pistol skill. (Yeah, I know the MkII is a semi auto, but each shot is single action as which would be used when aiming at game with a revolver.) All off hand. No rest. Using a rest comes later, but you have to be confident off hand before you ever think about taking a shot on an animal. In the hunt situation a rest rarely presents itself. When there, take it, so there is a time to practice with it, but not yet.

Once proficient with the .22, then move up to a .38 and then a .357. Be proficient with them. Then go back to your magnum. One of the best things for the Ruger Red Hawk is a spring kit. One from Trapper should do the trick. Then a little trigger/sear polishing.

Since you're hand loading. Start with some low recoil lead loads that hit target accurately. Then develope a hunting load that is accurate from a barrelled rest or better yet, a Ransom rest.

You'll find that this is going to get you in the kill zone with open sights out to 75 or more yards. With your scope you should be able to stretch to 100 yards.

I looked at your holster rig. Personally I prefer (with open sights), a shoulder holster.

Happy hunting.

-Steve

 

[AStone]

This thread has been integrated into
a new one on the same topic.

Got anything new to add?

 

[fugi]

I was fairly sucessful, or lucky, at about 70 yards with my 10mm against a hog by going down on one knee and resting my elbow on my knee. of course my knee and foot sunk a few inches into the mud which was great for stability. wasn't too fond of it on the way back though.

 

[MCgunner]

I always use a rest and I support the gun over the forward part of the frame and the Pachmayr fore end (TC Contender). Longest shot I've made on any of the five deer I've taken with it so far is about 90 yards, but I shoot it the same way at the range off sandbags. I WILL NOT take an unsupported shot beyond about 30 yards, just will not. With a proper steady rest, my TC in .30-30 is effective right out to 200 yards. Finding a good rest is just part of the handgun game in the field. I've shot one animal off hand with a .357 magnum 4" with irons, about 40 yards on a Javelina, and I trailed that thing 300 yards though the brush before being charged and finishing him with a shot to the head. I hit him too far back, behind the shoulder. A rest could have reduced the likelihood of a bad shot, but I was stalkin' this group of stink pigs over open ground. They were down in a dry wash.

My stands on my place have gun rests and I've taken 3 down there with the Contender, the other two out of box blinds that had rests. When I've used my Blackhawk, I rest it up just in front of the trigger guard, more solid than laying my hand over the rest, less error. I've taken two with the blackhawk 50 yards and less. I have a pair of shooting stix, but I've only used 'em in east Texas hunting squirrels with the .22LR barrel. They work well, though, if you're sitting on the ground. I find a tree to lean against when I'm squirrel hunting and I can lay down on my back and get shots way up in the trees off those stix, or if I'm walking I can rest on a tree. I can also lay on my back and clasp the gun between my knees for support when shooting up in the trees, done that successfully before I got the shooting stix.

JMHO. I've only got 7 deer and a bunch of squirrels with handguns, but that's how I've done it. Go to the range, shoot groups off sand bags, then try different field positions. I do this all the time with my Contender and Blackhawk, sit and shoot off the stix, brace using the pole that holds the cover over the shooting benches, etc. Handguns are like bows, if you don't practice the skill fades a bit. Creedmore is a good position, but not practical in many hunting situations. I shot IHMSA that way, works, but just ain't too many places you can lay out in a grassy field and get a shot.

 

[LHB1]

A trick I used while hunting with my scoped S&W M629 revolvers:
- Get a light walking stick that will reach to mid chest height.
- Buy a soft foam ball about 4-5 inches in diameter.
- Hollow out a small hole in the ball and epoxy it to the top of walking stick.
- Voila. Now you have a walking stick and portable pistol rest. Simply hold the gun in both hands with your hands resting on the foam ball. Angle the stick towards ground or rock forward/backward to change elevation. It REALLY helped me when I was shooting at distances of 50-100 yds. The foam ball was soft enough to not change my normal sight adjustments.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

 

[razorburn]

I've actually had great luck with a 4x scope, shooting from a standing position with a 2 handed hold. The wobble isn't so bad, and it actually helped me be even more stable, seeing a slight wobble I don't notice when shooting with irons. Using the scope cut my groups down to a fraction of what they were with irons. I shoot 50ft rifle targets at 12-15 yards. But admittedly I've always been bad with iron sights, I can use a peep and optics well though.

 

[MCgunner]

The walking stick with the ball on top is a danged decent idea for walk and stalk. I like that.