handguns for deer

[Nicodemus38]

heres the thing, a cb revolver will drop a deer no problem. in this day and age the experts claim you need massive power, so i will summise with this list


ruger black hawk or redhawk in 45 colt

taurus 627 in 357 7 shot 4 inch barrel
taurus 44 5 shot 44 mag 4 inch barrel


most experts say the 4 inch barrel 357 is fine for bear defense, but with a 6 inch barrel would be barely worthwhile past 36 yards for whitetail, although the full power full weight magnum loads are used on hogs past that distance, and hogs are harder to puncture.

the taurus 44 is considered a good deer gun as well, but because the short cylinder limits bullets to 300 grains with a real short, wide shape, its not useful for hunting at any range.

the question is, what would actually be the best one?

 

[WNC Seabee]

Maybe I'm having a brain lock, but what's a "cb" revolver?

If ut were me, i'd go with the Ruger. Not for caliber reasons, but for the extra sight radius with the longer barrel.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

Give this round a try in your Ruger

http://www.hornady.com/store/45-Colt-225-gr-FTX-LEVERevolution/

I use these in my .44 Super Red hawk and love them,

http://www.hornady.com/store/44-Mag-225-gr-FTX-LEVERevolution/

Puts the whammy on deer and hogs very well. The 7 1/2" barrel does a fine job out to 100 yards on paper and I wouldn't be a bit shy to crack on a deer at that range. A hog I would probably shorten it up to 75 since they are quite a bit harder to penetrate that shield and I don't go for head shots. With the .45 colt I wouldn't go for deer past 50 from the 7 1/2 inch barreled SRH. You probably COULD penetrate past 50 but you might not. Out to 50 yards you are well within acceptable power, on past it and you are getting into the "might not if I hit shoulder bone" zone. Better safe than sorry there. Welcome to handgun hunting. It is almost as fun as archery!

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

Ruger Blackhawks in .44 mag, .45 colt. 300 grain cast bullets.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

most experts say the 4 inch barrel 357 is fine for bear defense, but with a 6 inch barrel would be barely worthwhile past 36 yards for whitetail, although the full power full weight magnum loads are used on hogs past that distance, and hogs are harder to puncture

The reason there is accuracy more than power. Out past 30 yards you have to be a mighty fine marksman to be accurate with a 4 inch revolver. The longer barrels are more accurate, give you a bit more speed, and have a longer sight rail so they are more suited to hunting situations. The 4 inchers are great in defensive situations up close and personal but past 30 yards are pretty crappy in most peoples hands.

I have both the 8.53" barrel .500 S&W mag and the 4". The 8 inch I have no qualms whatsoever at 100 yards all day on any animal walking the planet. That 4 inch beast is another story altogether. Past 25 yards and I am around minute of mile with that mule. I am sure with a lot of practice I would be ok past that range but practicing with that monster is about as far from fun as you can get!

 

[Captcurt]

Just MHO!

I have taken 6 deer with a 6" GP100 357 with 180 gr. handloads. It wears a Pro PointII and will keep shots within 3" at 50 yards. That said, although I have confidence in my gun and load, I would feel a lot better with a a 44 or 45. The 357 has and will take deer as long as I do my part, but let's face it, Murphy's Law could kick in anytime.

 

[roger460xvr]

The smith&wesson 460xvr for SURE............

 

[phred45]

The reason there is accuracy more than power. Out past 30 yards you have to be a mighty fine marksman to be accurate with a 4 inch revolver. The longer barrels are more accurate, give you a bit more speed, and have a longer sight rail so they are more suited to hunting situations. The 4 inchers are great in defensive situations up close and personal but past 30 yards are pretty crappy in most peoples hands.

I have both the 8.53" barrel .500 S&W mag and the 4". The 8 inch I have no qualms whatsoever at 100 yards all day on any animal walking the planet. That 4 inch beast is another story altogether. Past 25 yards and I am around minute of mile with that mule. I am sure with a lot of practice I would be ok past that range but practicing with that monster is about as far from fun as you can get!

The different barrel lengths are all just as "accurate" - at least out of a gun vise (like a Ransom Rest). However, the longer barrels are "easier" to shoot because of their longer sight radius. Longer barrels also provide more "burn time" and thus a greater bullet velocity. Their added muzzle weight also provides better control and stability when pulling the trigger.

Personally, for deer hunting, I like the 44 Mag 7 1/2 inch Rugers although I have replaced the original sights with fiber optic sights. One needs to be able to practice with the gun, so shoot-ability is a must.

 

[mashaffer]

No one has answered so I will post my guess. I would say CB revolver=C&B revolver=Cap and Ball ala Remington 1858, Colt army .44 and ruger ols army.

mike

 

[cowpoke]

Or cb for cowboy

 

[buck460XVR]

the question is, what would actually be the best one?

easy....the one you are most accurate with and are the most confident with. Know your limitations and keep your shots within that parameter.

 

[mr.trooper]

I have been reamed by torn-@$$ 4 times now, so I don't recommend them to anybody. Maybe you don't care - thats your valid opinion - but I would recommend a single action.

Get the Ruger Blackhawk. Even avoiding the build quality argument, there is no denying that the Blackhawk will be more accurate. Its the better choice for hunting.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

The different barrel lengths are all just as "accurate" - at least out of a gun vise (like a Ransom Rest). However, the longer barrels are "easier" to shoot because of their longer sight radius. Longer barrels also provide more "burn time" and thus a greater bullet velocity. Their added muzzle weight also provides better control and stability when pulling the trigger.

Partly correct and partly incorrect phred45. The long barrel imparts a bit more spin on the bullet as well as more speed. More spin= more stable in flight and of course more speed= flatter trajectory. The longer sight rail (radius) does act greatly in better accuracy as well. Short barrel (snubs especially) will shoot pretty poorly out past 25 yards because of the lack of stabilisation imparted on the bullet. My Colt Python .357mag has the 6 inch barrel and I would feel confident on DEER with it out to 50 yards with the proper bullet for penetration. Hogs, not much past 30 yards but not because of accuracy but moreso with penetration of that thick shield. (Talking about an adult boar not a sow or a young hog). I shot a friends 8 inch Python and did see a small difference in accuracy. I still prefer my .44mag for hunting over the Python but the .357 is fine for deer and hogs with proper distance, marksmanship, and proper bullet choice.

 

[flipajig]

I personley use a 44mag SBH and a thompson contender in vairous calibers one thing I know is shoot what you feel confident with the smallest I would use is a 357 with a 158gn cast bullet. One thing I do know is you have to pratice,pratice and when you think that you are good enough pratice some more. at what ever distance that you can hit a 10'' papper plate with all 6 that is your max range. providing that you are using the right bullet and caliber for the game that you are after.

 

[rozziboy18]

get the blackhawk! im a new owner of one, so yes im im a little partial. its the most accurate sa i have shot yet, and it finds it way to my hip on every hunting trip!

 

[Kernel]

The long barrel imparts a bit more spin

I've heard a lot of theories, but I never heard that one before.

OP, if you don't handload I'd advise going with the Taurus in .44 Mag. It's an excellent deer cartridge. Don't worry about the chamber length. 240 grain bullets are more than enough for even the largest whitetail bucks.

If you do handload then the .45 Colt would be okay too. Most factory ammo, unless you buy something exotic (and way expensive), is a little on the weak side for hunting IMO.

 

[reuben mishler]

I've had great success with 44 mag. I use Winchester JSP in 240 grain. Took a 65 yard shot two weeks ago with iron sights...deer ran 30 yards.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

Originally Posted by Freedom_fighter_in_IL
The long barrel imparts a bit more spin
I've heard a lot of theories, but I never heard that one before.

The longer it is in contact with the rifling the more spin gets generated. Think of the old time style Spinning tops that had the rods you pushed down. The longer the spinning rod, the faster the top spun. Reason being is greater velocity from the longer barrel. Same reason you get greater velocity and accuracy from a pistol cartridge fired from a rifle.

 

[ironhead7544]

Of the handguns on your list I Would go with a longer barrel 45 Colt. Get some +P ammo or load some. The 45 Colt in a 7 1/2 inch barrel and a full black powder load will work too. I have fired that BP load and it has some power. If you have a ROA, the Big Lube bullets and 777 has been used with good success.

 

[LRS_Ranger]

I was of the opinion that .357 for bear was a little light...

 

[Nicodemus38]

dont have any of the listed weapons, am trying to figure out the best option. Have been having issues with hand and arm strength, so big ergonomic comfort is mandatory.
Taurus ribber grips have gotten awards for ergonomics, and well the only ergonomic grips ive seen for ruger were just the standard wood grips wrapped in a thin layer of neoprene type material.

hunting is a hope for it,but its really to be a sd weapon to take along on for fun. and for making noise on paper plates.

 

[flipajig]

Look at the TC contender you can get them in a vairous calibers with different barrel leath. depending on your state regs you can use a cal with almost no recoil as for a grip the factory grips are not bad and if you dont like them you can go with a costom set.
do a search on the TCU calibers in eather 6.5 or 7mm TCU it a 223 case necked up to eather 6.5 or 7mm for a 100 yds or less the TCU may fit the bill p roviding you use the right bullet. All of my barrels are 14" and I have to use a rest or a bypod.

 

[Zeke/PA]

I have owned my Super Blackhawk for about 30 years and have taken several deer with it.
The pistol is not scoped but I can shoot it well enough to cleanly take a Deer out to 50 yards or so.
Someone mentioned the TC Contender.
That sounds like a great option that was not available when I purchsased my
.44Mag.

 

[gjamison]

ruger 480 surper red hawk will knock the hell out of them....

 

[d2wing]

I disagree with with the longer barrel on some revolvers. I had one of each didn't need both so test them for accuracy and the 4 inch was clearly more accurate than the 6 inch. In theory the longer barrel would be more accurate but not always the case. In some states, 6 inch is minimum length though.