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