Revolver for Hunting

[giggitygiggity]

I am looking at getting a revolver for deer hunting. What all revolvers and calibers do your recommend? I want something with at least .44 mag power. I am not interested in the .500 S&W mag. However, .44 mag, .454 Casull, .460 S&W are all calibers that I'm curious about. I am open to other calibers though. My main concern in what brand/model to get. I intend to add a pic rail and red dot or scope to the revolver. What are your suggestions? Thanks!

 

[Saleen322]

The 44 mag is the easiest to get factory ammo for. If you go with a 460, you will get great accuracy and be able to fire 454 (and 45 Colt) from the same revolver.

 

[hq]

My main concern in what brand/model to get.

That's a matter of personal preference. After trying out a number of offerings from Ruger, Dan Wesson and others I hunted for quite some time with S&W 29 until I came across Colt Anaconda. Not the easiest gun to find parts for and fixing the common cylinder timing issue requires either a specialist gunsmith or learning to do it yourself (I did... ouch), but once all the small things had fallen in place the combination of ergonomics and accuracy are pretty much unparalleled. Not to mention investment/collector value, Anacondas have gone up in price steadily for a few years now. Test firing one will reveal quickly if you like it or not, but even if you don't, it's worth it as an experience.

 

[gotboostvr]

For deer (depending on size) even full power 44mag ammo isn't necessary.

A 240gr bullet at 1000fps should be fine, but I use a a 240gr XTP at about 1200fps.

I'm a big fan of the 629's and use a 5" personally for deer hunting when I'm not carrying my 16" M92 44mag carbine.

Accuracy is outstanding and it carries very well compared to the bigger X frames.

 

[Armored farmer]

Ruger Redhawk is a great revolver, designed for exactly what you describe.
My personal choice would be .45colt. .480ruger is interesting too.

 

[giggitygiggity]

Thanks for the replies. How does the .45LC do on deer? My buddy's Taurus Judge is fun to shoot and is a soft shooter with .45LC, but I am fearful it might not pack enough punch.

 

[22-rimfire]

Hotter loads on the 45 Colt make it a meat getter. I wouldn't do that in a Judge. I personally like the 480 Ruger. I have a BFR in 475 Linebaugh/480 Ruger and it is all the handgun power I will ever want. Didn't care as much for the Ruger SRH in 480. It was my first revolver larger than 44 mag.

 

[CraigC]

I tend to steer folks away from anything bigger than the .41Mag, .44Mag and .45Colt. For deer especially but particularly for new handgun hunters. The .454, .480, .475 and various .500's are wonderful in their own right but it's a lot of blast and recoil that make things far more challenging than necessary for those new to such things.

I would strongly suggest Max Prasac's new book on hunting revolvers. It covers guns, cartridges, loads, optics and leather.

http://www.amazon.com/Gun-Digest-Book-Hunting-Revolvers/dp/1440246076

 

[aarondhgraham]

I don't believe that a person needs to go .44 Mag as a minimum,,,
I have a 6" S&W 686 in .357 Magnum that has taken two Oklahoma deer.

IIRC the cartridges were Aguila 180 grain semi-jacketed round nose,,,
Both were taken from tree stand at 40-ish and 30-is yards.

I didn't take the deer though,,,
It was my sister's son.

I can't cite specifics about the ballistics,,,
But .357 Mag seems to have a flatter trajectory than my .44 Mag.

Single-actions against double actions will be a personal preference.

Just my thoughts

 

[critter]

I have taken several deer with revolvers. I used a Ruger Redhawk in .44 mag, a Ruger Blackhawk Bisley Hunter in .44 and a S&W model 25 in .45 Colt. All were VERY accurate and very effective. The .44's I used were 240 gr JHP reload while the .45 Colt were 255 hard cast SWC's. Different kinds of results but quite effective if placed properly. Both 44's were scoped while the .45 Colt was not. All ammo was reloaded at moderately high velocities-no need for the burn-blind-deafen level loads. The bigger calibers (454, 500, 475 etc) will surely work but are not necessary and are much harder to practice till you are accurate with them.

Get an accurate one, PRACTICE till you can place your shots and go for it. TONS of fun!

 

[buck460XVR]

For deer (depending on size) even full power 44mag ammo isn't necessary.

A 240gr bullet at 100fps should be fine.

While full power .44 mag ammo may not be needed for deer, I'd use something that goes faster than 100fps. Even my old recurve threw arrows faster than that.

How much gun one need to handgun hunt for deer is dependent on how one hunts and the distances one expects to shoot. Is the revolver going to be a primary weapon or secondary to a rifle. I hunted for years with a 6" .357 and took my first 4 handgun deer with it. But it was used for those up close and personal shots with my M1917 ought-six as my primary. I look at .357 for deer as similar to a bow. One needs to be within 40 yards and be picky about their shots. I started to hunt with .44 mag and .460 mag not to make a bigger hole or do more terminal damage, but to increase my effective range. For me that is 70-80 yards with the .44 and out to 125+ with the .460. If the OP does not handload and does not intend to in the future, unless he has deep pockets, I suggest sticking with a .44 if he is looking for a primary hunting weapon. Good factory hunting ammo is much less expensive for .44mag than for .460 mag. If one handloads, the .460 will really shine all the way from reduced loads to full tilt, legitimate .460s. One does not have to shoot .45 colt or .454 in their .460 if they handload, only load .460 cases to those levels. While .45 colt is also a very viable option for deer size game, finding legitimate factory hunting ammo can be difficult at best and almost as expensive as .460 when it is found. Again, the handloader does not have this problem. IMHO, most folks looking for a legitimate primary deer handgun will be well suited with a .44 mag. Anything less and anything more depends on their scenarios and their personal choice.

 

[Dog Soldier]

It depends on the type of deer. The small desert Sonoran deer, Eastern White tail or the Big Mule deer? The .357 may work on the smaller deer but only marginal on a heavy ribbed Mule buck at 75 yards.

 

[gotboostvr]

While full power .44 mag ammo may not be needed for deer, I'd use something that goes faster than 100fps. Even my old recurve threw arrows faster than that.

I agree, I meant to type 1000fps.

I've since edited my original post.

 

[MaxP]

Thanks Craig!

I personally would opt for the larger .44 or .45 Colt over the .357. You can load the .44 or .45 to really comfortable levels, but even when you load the .357 hot, you can't make up for the diameter deficit. Going with the bigger calibers gives you more options an flexibility, particularly if you decide one day to hunt animals larger than deer.

 

[cal44mag]

If I wanted to hunt with a handgun, I'd go with this:

S&W 657 41 Magnum Classic Hunter. It's the earliest version of the 657 series drilled and tapped for scope mounts.

Accurate gun with a great trigger.

 

[Hanshi]

I've killed quite a few deer with two .357 mags; an M19 4" and a 686 6". I used both handloads and factory loads that spanned the gap from 125 grain JHP to 158 grain JHP. No deer ran far or needed a second shot. Later I used an OM .41 Ruger BH and an OM .44 Super BH with handloads only. The farthest kill was 90 yards with the .44. With the .357 about 60 yards.

Deer are not hard to kill and if you can't place your .357 bullet in the right spot, a .44 mag won't make up for the poor shooting. If you don''t like recoil, go with a .357 and you will be a lot more successful that with a .44 mag. There is no reason or advantage to going with anything more powerful than a .44 mag; and the .44 mag, itself, isn't necessary. My favorite deer handgun hunting caliber is the .41 mag. But if you can't handle the .44 mag, you won't be able to handle the .41 mag. If you're really good with your .357, then that's what you should use. Power doesn't make up for bad shooting nor is all that much power needed.

 

[200Apples]

.
cal44, I've had my eye on a 629 Classic 5", but I also load for .41... that's a nice piece!

Craig, thanks for the reminder of Max's books. Just ordered "Gun Digest Book of Hunting Revolvers" and his "Big Bore Revolvers" books (even though there may be some duplication). Cheers, Max! Thanks for your efforts. Looking forward to some additional "eddication". Hee.

 

[jeepnik]

.45 Colt works well on deer. This is no surprise as it was initially designed to shoot horses (it's much easier to shoot the horse than the man, bigger target).

 

[CraigC]

The .357Mag works fine within certain parameters but as with minimal rifle cartridges, I would relegate it to the more seasoned handgun hunter than a beginner. No, a bigger cartridge doesn't make up for poor shot placement and it never meant to, it just increases your margin for error and opens more opportunities.

 

[Armored farmer]

I have taken 6 or 8 deer with a .357. I was never too impressed with the performance. I went to 45Colt.
I would definitely use it if that is what I had. But i definitely wouldn't recommend buying a .357 as a hunting gun.
To each his own.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

The problem with threads asking these types of questions, you usually get opinions of what people think but not have done. In these threads I'm guessing there are very few opinions that are based in actually hunting.

I have not hunted deer with a handgun so I can't tell you what I have done but my hunting buddy has taken plenty of deer with a .357 Magnum revolver but now prefers to carry a .44 Magnum instead. I do know a .357 Magnum from a levergun will take deer cleanly.

 

[22-rimfire]

Thanks Craig!

I personally would opt for the larger .44 or .45 Colt over the .357. You can load the .44 or .45 to really comfortable levels, but even when you load the .357 hot, you can't make up for the diameter deficit. Going with the bigger calibers gives you more options an flexibility, particularly if you decide one day to hunt animals larger than deer.

Assuming the revolver is to be the primary hunting gun, I would agree and include the 41 magnum as a viable deer hunting caliber even with factory loads and choose a 6" barrel or perhaps a bit longer (your choice). As long as you think in terms of handgun hunting for deer much like you would a bow (practical bow range + some if you practice), I think you'll do fine. Caliber choice is often a confidence thing for the hunter in terms of putting an animal down quickly. I stepped up to the 480 Ruger as I was really impressed by the early reviews of the caliber. It is certainly more potent than a typical 44 mag and you have the .47" bullet diameter to do potentially more damage. It does take practice to get comfortable shooting these big bores.

 

[DownInTheDark]

I finished off an elk, with a 357 magnum. One shot to the back of the head and the fight was over instantly.

 

[Varminterror]

If the .500 S&W is not making your list, then the .460s&w has to come off of the list as well - it's only offering is in the same revolver as the .500, and everything "bad" about the X-Frame .500 holds true for the .460 S&W version too.

.454c and .480R should come off of your list as well, as these are grossly over powered for new handgun hunters. Recall, the 44mag is often touted as the most powerful handgun the average handgunner can be trained to manage effectively, and the .480 and 454c have 50-100% more energy than the .44, and come chambered in relatively similar weight revolvers.

.475Line comes off of the list, simply because all said above for the 454 and 480 apply, plus the added twist of no factory revolver being chambered for it.

I agree with the experienced handgunners above who have recommended you AWAY from the .357mag. It can and will kill game at very metered distances and under ideal shot presentations, but it is incredibly lacking for killing power compared to other more suitable cartridges. I'll point out, the .44mag has more energy at 100yrds than the .357mag does at the muzzle - that should not be considered lightly, and when you compare other killing power factors (Becker, wooter, Taylor, Hornady HITS, etc), the .44mag runs away from the .357mag even farther. The .357mag runs out of steam within a distance an average practiced handgunner could still connect on game, meaning you could hit game farther than you could ethically kill them. I have killed dozens of deer at short ranges with the .357mag, and have killed thrice as many with .44mags at much longer distances, including some past 150yrds. The difference is tangible.

So that really narrows us down to .41mag, .44mag, and .45colt. I favor the .44mag from this list, but any of these 3 can be effectively employed well both by a newbie as well as an experienced wheel gunner to kill deer as far or farther than they could ever make contact. I favor the .44mag because I started with one, but I can say it offers distinct advantages: the .45colt is only really on par for power in standard loads with the .44spcl, so you need specialty rounds or to reload to achieve 44mag level performance. The .41mag can't be loaded to the same power as the .44mag, and at the other end, it doesn't really have an available low powered practice cartridge. So the .44mag allows .44spcl practice and full power .44mag loads, both readily found in stores, while the .45 colt and .41 mag both require a lot more leg work to say the same. None of these 3 are a wrong answer, but in general, I recommend the .44mag is the most right out of these 3.

Ruger and Smith & Wesson get my money, customs like Dan Wesson or Freedom typically aren't on the menu for most folks, Taurus Raging line is good enough on a budget. I do the vast majority of my handgun hunting (which is the vast majority of ALL of my hunting) with a Ruger in one flavor or another.

Ruger Super Blackhawk in 5.5" .44mag with a JPoint sight and adapter under a Burris FastFire III, shooting Hornady 240grn XTP's will be serviceable for any whitetail deer hunter who ever walked the woods. Not too long nor heavy, very serviceable sight, and highly effective ammunition - the described weapon will kill deer for anyone willing to put in the practice to be proficient with a handgun.

 

[ThomasT]

The most important thing about hunting deer with a handgun is how well you can hunt. And how well you can shoot that handgun. Learn to get close and learn to put your bullet in a 6' circle at 50 yards from a field postion and about any gun within reason will work on deer. A 357 would be the minimum for me but where I hunt the deer are not normally that big. A 150 pound deer is big around here in Tx but there are exceptions. The normal sizes are 90 to around 125 pounds.

I have killed 28-30 deer and all but one were 80 yards or less. And everyone of them could have been killed with a 44 mag loaded to 1200fps and most could have been killed with a 357 loaded to the same speed. But my hunting thrill is to get close.