I looking to buy a revolver that I can easily scope and that can be relied upon to take deer and the occasional black bear out to 150 yds or so. I'm considering the SRH in 44, 454, or 480, all with the longer barrel. I am also pondering a 71/2" RH in 45 colt and maybe even a 10" barrel FA model 83 in 454. I even thought of tracking down an old 101/2" barrel 357 Max SBH...

I thought about an XP 100, but I can never find what I want, and I don't much care for TCs, so that leaves big bore revolvers.

Thoughts... TIA

My thoughts - or opinions - are that 150 yards is very long shot when hunting big game with a pistol. If you want to hunt with a handgun at rifle ranges get a Savage Striker, a 4x or higher scope, and a bipod. If you want to hunt with a pistol find a way to close the distance to your target. No flies on a scope - I've used them on pistols before and will in the future (or so hinted my optometrist last visit) - but I'm not sure they increase our effective range so much as they help us do better work within a cartridge's effective range. Of all the pistols you mentioned the Redhawk would be my choice. Shame Ruger doesn't offer their five inch gun with the integral scope ring cuts. But don't get me started on all the things Ruger ought to do... Good hunting!

I think I'd look for a 357max. I have a Ruger and a Silver Seville, they are both nice guns. I think the Seville has to be the smoothest revolver I have ever seen or handled. If you wanted to stay within 100yds then any of the cartriges listed would do well. You may get abit flatter trajectory with the max but will not have as large a bore or bullet weight. With the scope on you could get a heavy duplex scope and zero for 100yds, then see where the top of the heavy cross hair shot at, ie what range it hit to point of aim, then use that to float inbetween for ranges from 100 to ? Or zero the scope on the heavy duplex at 150 and see where everything else hit inbetween on the cross hairs?

Of the calibers you mentioned the 454 would probly hold the better tradjectory for the disstance your talking and the 480 would rank right up there as well. I personally would have trouble holding a tight group that far out but there are plenty of people who do just fine at that range. The 44 mag and the 45 colt(loaded correctly) would work well also but you would want to close the gap a bit.

If the accuracy is there the 454 and the 480 would have the power potential to take deer at that range(not familiar with bear). At closer ranges the other calibers you mentioned will work just fine.

150 yards is a long ways for the rounds you mentioned. Where it can be done, you will not have much energy lift at that range. I would seriously consider the XP-100 or a Savage striker or the T/C. I am an avid handgun hunter but know the limitation of the pistol rounds. I use pistol rounds within 100 yards and opt for a rifle round in my Encore pistol past 100 yards. JMHO.

If you're truly an exceptional shot, you may be able to take game cleanly and reliably out to 150 yards. But without a rest when "walking em up," it's much more realistic to stay 100 yards and under, as has been said.

Taurus now offers a 12 inch bbl on its Model 44, and it virtually duplicates the ballistics of a 44 Mag carbine. I carry mine bbl down in a back pack with the grips next to my right ear. Very nice for walking, sitting and prone. A better shot than I could take deer at 150 yards with this rig, but I pretty much keep to the woods.

Good advice on all the posts thus far. The .454 is hands down, in my opinion, the best of the four cartridges mentioned. A scoped 10.5" Ruber Super Blackhawk properly loaded will do the job if you can do yours. Both my Stalker in .44 and my 10" FA in .454 shoot "sub-minute of deer" out to 200 yards. I'd shy away from the .480 for trajectory sake.

Don`t forget to take a look at the Dan Wesson`s in 44 & 45 and their supermags in 357-41 and 44.They are a very accurate handgun and when you install one of their 8"barrels with a scope mount and tighten up that cylinder gap you will have a 6 shot revolver capable of hitting game at 150yds.Good luck.

Since this post was started, i have acquired a new 480 with 6.5 inch barrel...a Taurus RB. The one exception to the trajectory problem this revolver might have is with the 270 gr Speer at 1600 fps. It is plenty of bullet for deer, with a SD of .174, right close to the 240 gr 44 mag.