What is the best deer, hog, and black bear revolver

[jmcarter]

Was wondering what yall think is the best deer, hog, and bear revolver. Gonna start handgun hunting. Rifle hunting has become "to easy" and I want more of a challenge. Also which factory load would you recommend.

 

[Bill4282]

.44 magnum "the most powerful handgun in the world" Dirty Harry

 

[HKGuns]

Really hard to beat a .44 Magnum PC for this purpose. I recommend a Buffalo Bore load or hand load of your choice. Mine isn't scoped yet, but it will be soon.

Below is one available option from Buffalo Bore. Although I don't feel under gunned with my medium-high hard cast 240gr or 300gr hand loads.

SKU: 4F/20 Deer Grenade .44 Magnum +P Pistol and Handgun Ammo

 

[243winxb]

460 S&W Magnum. It will fire 3 different cartridges.

 

[Deaf Smith]

Best? Dunno how to qualify that as here are many variables. Deer, hog, and black bear.

Now the Ruger SRH .44 or .454, 7 1/2 barrel, will lay low any deer/hog/bear known to man.

But then so will the S&W 629 .44 or newer 'X' series guns in .460 (which is a souped up .454 Casual.. as if .454 needed souping up!)

And the Ruger Red hawk in .44 or .45 LC, is still a dang good gun that will do the job on any of the above critters.

And of course the old Ruger Super Black hawk is fine if you like the longer hammer fall and SA only design.

Personally, I'd just get a Ruger Red Hawk in .44 magnum with 5.5 inch barrel as it's enough but not so heavy to carry.

Deaf

 

[hardluk1]

44 mag. 7 1/2 barrel . Ruger super red hawk set up for optics and strong enought for a steady diet of hot loads.

 

[PlaneJain]

A Freedom Arms 475 linebaugh

 

[jeepnik]

Any quality single or double action revolver in .41 mag or better will do. I personally prefer a .45 colt Blackhawk. In that handgun, the round can be loaded as hot or hotter than the .44 mag, and it really is .45 (.452) instead of .42 (.429) caliber

 

[buckhorn_cortez]

...or newer 'X' series guns in .460 (which is a souped up .454 Casual..

I own a .460 and I can tell you that a .454 Casull is anything but "casual."

 

[Walkalong]

I would choose my .41 or .44 Mag revolvers. A Redhawk in .45 Colt could do the trick as well.

 

[jmcarter]

Starting to lean toward the 460 mag because I can shoot cheap cowboy 45 colt loads for fun. And I can use the +p 45 colt, 454 casull, and 460 mag loads for hunting depending on what I'm hunting. Thinking +p 45 colt loads for deer, and what would be a good load for the black bear and hogs. I want to be able to drop everything I shoot drt, with a well placed shot of course. A buddy of mine shot a 517 pound hog last october, so what kind of hog medicine do I need to tackle something like that hog. Also who all makes wheelguns chambered in 460 S&W mag I know Magnum Research and Smith and Wesson do are there anyothers

 

[farmer pliers]

Ruger has their 480 Ruger in the SRH. Any of the 325 or 400 grain loads work well in mine.

 

[Boxhead]

A 44 year old Ruger SBH with 280 gr WFN's at 1100 fps still works.

 

[StrawHat]

My S&W M25-5 has done well int hat department. 45 long Colt with 260 or 280 grain cast lead bullets.

 

[45Fan]

My current handgun selection that would cover that spectrum would be either my SBH 7 1/2 " 44 Mag, or my Vaquero in 45 Colt, both are about equal with heavy loads for planting about anything in the lower 48.
The only thing I have recently been looking at is the Bisley Hunter. I had the opportunity to handle one a few months back, and if I had the spare funds to have brought it home that day, I would have given it a new home. Full house 44 Mag can get rather snappy, and the heavier barrel in the hunter model puts more weight out front to keep things down under recoil.
I have never shot the .460, and honestly have to say I have no interest in them either. The .454 can push heavier bullets than the 44, and at higher velocities, I would hate to think how punishing the .460 loaded to its full potential would be.

 

[targetshooter22]

If I gather from your OP about which factory load to use that you are *not* a reloader, then I would go with one of the Rugers in 44 or 357 mag. Price out the other pistol ammo and make note of how common it is where you hunt and shop for shells. You can run them with hot ammo the rest of your days, and they will work. Maybe the edge goes to the 357 because the store bought ammo will cost less for more than anything else worthy of your mission. That should be enough gun for black bear (making an assumption here) or hog or deer in the lower 48.

For hog and bear, go with the hotter loaded jacketed soft points for bone braking fun. Decent hollow points for the deer, they aren't so tough.

 

[336A]

My goodness fellas' deer, hogs, and black bears aren't M1A tanks that require a photon torpedo from your handheld mega blasters. The .454 Cassull, .460 S&W, .475 Linaebaugh, and the .500 S&W are all great cartridges as are the guns that chamber them. Those cartridges are more specialty cartridges than anything else. It dang near requires one to take out a second mortgage on your home just to shoot the dang things too, they're not cheap.

I just got done reading another excellent article written by Brian Pearce in the new handloader magazine. In it he talks about a bear hunt that he an his son went on. His son used one of the Lipsey's mid framed Flat Top revolvers chambered in .45 Colt. This frame size is limited to 23,000 PSI pressures, so the same pressure that a .45 ACP+P load would produce. He worked up a load for the RCBS 285gr Keith bullet that would produce approximately 1050fps.

His son took a treed black bear at 40 yards with that load. All rounds passed completely through, leaving behind severe wounds and internal damage in the process.

To the OP, I'd look for a good .41 mag, .44 mag, or .45 Colt and some good ammo loaded with a Keith bullet. Be prepared as none of them are exactly cheap to buy ammo for, reloading may soon be in your future.

 

[Jhass]

+1 .44 mag

 

[Buck13]

Here's an opinion by someone with some ideas about big handguns.

http://www.handloads.com/articles/default.asp?id=12

 

[Lj1941]

Ruger 44Mag Super Blackhawk/7 1/2 inch barrel and good handload.

 

[Torian]

A lot of great calibers mentioned here...but more importantly...a gun that you can hit what you are aiming at.

 

[03Shadowbob]

Not sure of the "best" but I am going to the dance with a 44mag super Blackhawk this fall. Can't wait

 

[riddleofsteel]

I have used a 4 5/8 Ruger Backhawk in .45 Colt to kill all of the species you mentioned with great results. Just put a 270 to 300 grain Keith style SWC over enough Unique or H110 to get past 1100 FPS and a little practice and you will be golden.
Mostly complete pass through s with a LOT of tissue damage and quick recoveries.



Plus it's a real handgun. One you can carry in a regular holster.

 

[USSR]

Yep, .45 Colt with 255 - 280gr SWC's at 1000 - 1100fps is all you really need.

Don

 

[Zaydok Allen]

"Best" is an impossible thing to qualify. I like my 460 magnum. For protection, .357 and bigger is probably a good idea. (minimum 4" bbl) For hunting, I'd say 44 mag or larger. JMO