O.K. guys,
After reading about your handgun hog hunt it set me to thinking. I don't have a handgun to speak of and have never hunted with one. I'm now interested in one, any suggestions for a reasonably priced good workhorse of a handgun?
I know that's a loaded question, but all replies are appreciated.
Jeff

Single action, or double action?

Ruger Blackhawk in 45 colt or a Super Blackhawk in 44 mag. If you don't want anything that big you can go with a 357mag or a 41 mag.

Ruger Blackhawk 45 Colt. Not a bettey way to get your feet wet.

quote:

Originally posted by Redhawk1:
Ruger Blackhawk 45 Colt. Not a bettey way to get your feet wet.

If an SA revolver is what you want, Redhawk's advice is right on IMHO. I'll take a .45 Colt over a .429 mag any day, but that's just me.......

quote:

Originally posted by Whitworth:

quote:

Originally posted by Redhawk1:
Ruger Blackhawk 45 Colt. Not a bettey way to get your feet wet.

If an SA revolver is what you want, Redhawk's advice is right on IMHO. I'll take a .45 Colt over a .429 mag any day, but that's just me.......

you guys are my kind of people ruger 45 colt all the way.

I would agree totally if you want a single action. I'd go with either a S&W (used and in good condition) or a Ruger Redhawk, if you prefer a double action revolver. Double could come in handy if a pissed off boar charges. The rugers are both workhorses which can tolerate the heaviest of loads again and again, and I've had very good results from them as far as accuracy goes. The S&W has the reputation of better quality, but will not stand up as well to repeated heavy loads. Take your pick. Good luck.

Since it is your first big bore handgun, and you are not yet reloading I recommend you get a 44 Mag.

Different factory ammo is easier to find than most other calibres.
You can start out shooting 44 Specials and thengo up in power as your skill and needs progress.

I would get either a Smith & Wesson with a 6" barrel or a Ruger with a 5 1/2" to a 7 1/2" barrel.
Be sure to get one with adjustable sights.

You cannot go wrong with a 44 Mag in either of those 2 configurations.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
Since it is your first big bore handgun, and you are not yet reloading I recommend you get a 44 Mag.

Different factory ammo is easier to find than most other calibres.
You can start out shooting 44 Specials and thengo up in power as your skill and needs progress.

I would get either a Smith & Wesson with a 6" barrel or a Ruger with a 5 1/2" to a 7 1/2" barrel.
Be sure to get one with adjustable sights.

You cannot go wrong with a 44 Mag in either of those 2 configurations.

You make a good point. But there are some good specialty loads from the likes of Buffalo Bore that wake the old .45 right up.

I too like Ruger's offerings with regards to DA revolvers -- both the Redhawk and the Super Redhawk.

quote:

S&W has the reputation of better quality, but will not stand up as well to repeated heavy loads.

From everything I've heard over time on this, I believe it was true of ones made a long time ago but doesn't apply now. As to the older ones, I also believe it took really a lot of full house loads to see a problem. Anyway, mine are older guns and I try to not push them. I'm not a handloader and I lean toward Cor-Bon and Hornady factory ammo, which runs on the warm side. I use these in my older Smiths for hunting and limited target use with no problems whatsoever, but I try to do most of my magnum target shooting with the more recent 629. I have no worries about that one at all.

I don't know what the budget is, but I'd at least look at the Smiths, especially if re-sale value is important. There's also Dan Wesson and Taurus. There's Magnum Research too in both an auto and revolvers and there's Freedom Arms who makes a really well regarded single action. However, those last ones are about $1K. But, it doesn't cost anything just to look.

Super Blackhawk in 44Mag or Glock 20 in 10MM. Don't skimp on the bullets, use only premium hunting bullets that will penetrate and hold together. There's a video floating around here with a 44Mag round bouncing off a hog's head. Whether it was light for caliber bullet and/or poor construction...whatever...the bullet failed. Hogs call for Partitions, TSX's, or cast solids. When in doubt, go for heavy for caliber bullets and remember shot placement, it'll save your ass.

I like guns with integral scope mounts for the ease of installing and removing a scope or red-dot while leaving your iron sights sighted in. My vote is for the Ruger Blackhawk "Hunter" (preferably the Bisley model) in .45 Colt if you are a handloader, .44 Mag if you are not.

Good luck and have fun deciding!

if it means anything, i've found the rugers to be more accurate in the .44 mag. don't care for the blackhawks in .45 colt at all. i'd get a .44 mag, i don't feel the 45 colt offers much of anything better than the .44. that said, i much prefer the smith 629's to the rugers but if i wanted a ruger i'd go with the super redhawk, much better fit and finish that the blackhawks imho. yes i've read all the stuff written about how a .45 colt will do what the .44 will do at a lower pressure and after shooting them for a long time now i realized i don't care, it means nothing at all. it's something i'd have never noticed or cared about if someone hadn't written about it. recoil is the same for a load of equivalent energy b/w the two calibers. buffalo bore has a .44 mag load that's got more fpe and as big a bullet as any .45 colt load one could buy. now.......if you're gonna reload i'd run down and get a srh 454 or a bfr 454 and start running some loads with trailboss powder. try 340 gr hardcast at about 800 to 900fps. if not, there's winchester, corbon and federal loads that all are at .44 mag velocities and energies. then you also got room to move up and have what i feel is my favorite all around caliber in big bore pistols.

that's the nice thing about this site now tradmark. We can agree to disagree on our points of view. I believe the .45 Colt is a STEP above the .44 Mag, but I'm not in a hurry to get rid of my Model 29 either.

I've got a Super Redhawk in .480 Ruger but also grabbed a Blackhawk Bisley Hunter in .44 Mag. for easier reloading of cast practice rounds as .475 cast bullets seem harder to come by. I put gold dot front / v-rear sights on both guns and used the .44 on my last hog. I'm taking the .480 on our RSA plains game hunt this coming Tues.

If you get a chance, shoot a single-action next to a double action in a suitable caliber.

Personally, I really dislike powerful single-actions, but enjoy shooting larger double-actions. Other members feel the exact opposite.

A ruger is a decent gun, once you, or a good smith, has finished building it. An S&W can be acceptable from the factory -- personally, I've been quite impressed w. the 500 and the 329NG that I recently bought.

Nothing wrong with a 45 Colt or the 454 for that matter....

But for a guys FIRST hog hunting handgun, I still think the 44 Mag is the best choice for him.

Especially logistically ammo wise.

Then when/IF he thinks he needs something BIGGER, he can get a 475 Linebaugh.

IF you handload the .45 Colt is a more versatile cartridge.

IF you don't handload, then .44 mag is the answer.

You can't really go wrong either way - that's a simple truth. 300+ gr. at 1250+ fps is going to kill anything in North America quite dead...

I have .45 colts .44 mags .454 not to mention a bunch of .357's and like most of you I have a soft spot in my hart for the .45 colt but if you don't hand load then I have to go with the .44 mag.
45 Colts are for the guy who handloads cast his own hardcast and has a full knowledge of revolver performance.

I know there are some outfits producing better loads for the 45 but they don't come off the shelf at Wal-mart.

I have a couple of points to make from the above posts.

I agree that if one is not a handloader, there is a much wider selection of available ammo in .429 magnum.

In my experience and from my observations, the .45 Colt is higher up on the food chain than the .44 mag. It just kills better all things being equal. Bigger hole in and out.

I love DA revolvers and have a couple customs built on SRH platforms. I prefer them over SAs for a variety of reasons, but mostly it is simply preference. That said, the big cartridges like the .454, .475 Linebaugh, etc. kick considerably harder in a DA platform. Bfrshooter and I use a nearly identical load in our .475s and his BFR is considerably kinder to the shooter than my SRH, but it's mainly cumulative, and after a number of rounds, the SRH seems to fatigue the shooter faster.

JMHO.

Here in Wyoming, the 44 Mag is legal for big game, the 45 Colt is not.. although I would use it carefully.. I have a 50th Ann. Blackhawk 44 mag, (already took an Antelope last week).. also a Bissley Ruger in 45 Colt, which is a lot easier to hang on to.. a short barreled blackhawk, in 45 Colt (200th year of Liberty edition) which I sent to Gary Reeder for a new cylinder held to .451 chamber mouths and a forecing cone job.. NOW IT SHOOTS!!!..If I can still see after I retire, I'll give some of these guns a whirl on whitetail and hogs.. Les

Thanks for the responses guys, I'm learning a lot and have started looking around. Nobody has really mentioned a .357. I've found a used Ruger Blackhawk from an individual. Right now I don't intend to become a hard core handgun hunter, just like one to carry and use for shots under 40 yards. I would shoot more using .38 special ammo for practice, my wife might shoot with me because of the low recoil. Is the .357 too small? I really like it for a number of different reasons.
Thanks,
Jeff

For deer and hogs, the .357 will do just fine. The bullet used is as important as the cartridge it is fired from. Use a bullet that is sufficient, and the .357 will do it's job. I also like the ability to shoot .38 spl in it.

Cannons aren't as necessary as some would like them to be, but they are fun. When the .44 was the biggest handgun in the world, it was big enough.

the 357 is the gun i tell people to buy for a first handgun being the versability of it as you mentioned the 38's for plinking.But i believe the smallest hunting choice should be the 41 mag.Yes the 357 does kill but you have to be very carefull of shot placement and use the proper bullet.My suggestion pick up the 357 and get shooting then pick up a bigger gun for hunting like the 44

I would stear clear of the .357 on anything but deer and very small hogs and you had better be an expert shot. Daniel, the .44 was enough because there was nothing else (aside from .45 Colt in weak guns), and I have always felt it is adequate, but not by much. Placement is still king, but diameter helps -- big hole in, and big hole out.

Common Guys,are we leaving out the 38 Special?????

as a hunting round yes we are leaving it out.It is for plinking

quote:

Originally posted by Whitworth:
I would stear clear of the .357 on anything but deer and very small hogs and you had better be an expert shot. Daniel, the .44 was enough because there was nothing else (aside from .45 Colt in weak guns), and I have always felt it is adequate, but not by much. Placement is still king, but diameter helps -- big hole in, and big hole out.

I'm not trying to pick a fight here, but I simply disagree. More power to you (pun intended) if you want to own a .475 or .500 linebaugh. And this is truly, in no way meant to offend either Whitworth of TBEAR99, who I know love the linebaughs, and I hope to hog hunt with in the future. I'm not trying to tell you that you are wrong to want the biggest and baddest to hunt with, and if you are hunting something dangerous, you are probably right to have such a gun.
That being said, I think a .357 is completely adequate to kill hogs or deer in 99% of situations. Of course you need to place the bullet well, but that fact doesn't change when hunting with a big sucker either. A gut-shot hog runs whether hit with a .475 or a .357 (and if shot with a hardcast or other non-expanding bullet, they are most likely lost no matter what). I also think that most people would be a LOT more likely to flinch (taking the well placed shot out of the picture) when shooting something SO BIG rather than merely popping off a pea shooter like a .357 or .41.
I'm a .41 fan, and have never felt under-gunned. Neither would I feel under-gunned with a .357 and the proper bullet (notice, that I am NOT saying that a .357 with hollow points is the perfect hog rig).
In my experience, most people (those who don't shoot A LOT) can't reliably keep from flinching with a .44, much less something bigger. If you don't believe me, load your buddy's gun for him and leave a chamber empty. I know guys like Whitworth shoot enough that he probably wouldn't flinch, but I'll get 90% of you.
I'd put those calibers larger than a .44 into the category as being "too big" for the average person to actually hunt with. A bad shot at the range is not a problem, but you need confidence to perform when hunting, or you aren't treating the quarry with the respect they deserve.
My 130lb. wife shoots a .44 S&W 629 with an 8"barrel, so I fully understand that anyone can handle a cannon, but practically speaking, for the average person, I think Big Calibers cause more fear than confidence. My .02

No doubt. I agree with most of what you have said here, Daniel. You are absolutely correct that most folks cannot shoot these hand cannons well. They require a boatload of practice to master and more than a little tenacity. Just like big-bore rifles, they cannot be handled by just anyone. I am positive that shortly after the introduction of the .500 Smith, a large percentage of slightly used X-frames flooded the market. Even the .429 magnum can be too much for the neophyte -- it's a threshold cartridge from a recoil standpoint. But, I have taken enough game with a .44 to consider fairly unremarkable. I recently followed a wounded hog (on the small side) through a North Carolina swamp with a .44 and its performance quite frankly was a bit underwhelming. For similar recoil levels, I think a .45 Colt loaded correctly is a significant move up wthout being too punishing to the shooter. You can step up in diameter and you don't have to load it really hot for it to work, but the bigger calibers just kill a hell-of-a-lot better.

I did totally leave out the 45, which is one of my all time favorite cartridges. I do agree that the .45 LC is more versatile, though mostly only if you reload, and own a Ruger.

quote:

Originally posted by daniel77:
I did totally leave out the 45, which is one of my all time favorite cartridges. I do agree that the .45 LC is more versatile, though mostly only if you reload, and own a Ruger.

Yes indeed!

Here are a few thoughts and observations on the 357 Mag vs the 44 Mag.

I think MOST would agree that the 44 Mag has more of what it takes to get the job done.

When I was "a" working, I "introduced" several 357 Mag shooters to a 44 Mag.

Most all discovered that there was not that much difference in Combat accuracy, or speed of fire.

When hunting the difference in recoil is even less.

The "Thump" between 357 and 44 mag is quite a bit.

quote:

Originally posted by jeffs:
O.K. guys,
After reading about your handgun hog hunt it set me to thinking. I don't have a handgun to speak of and have never hunted with one. I'm now interested in one, any suggestions for a reasonably priced good workhorse of a handgun?
I know that's a loaded question, but all replies are appreciated.
Jeff

Jeff I'm far from being an expert on handguns, but since I once owned one mentioned by txhunter, I'll offer you an opinion for what it's worth. I owned the a Ruger SA Blackhawk, 10 1/2" barrel in the 44 magnum for several years, and for the money, it would be my choice. Very accurate out to and beyond 100 yds. from a rest with either jacketed or #2 alloy lead 240 gr. bullets. Also shot reduced loads well.

The only thing I disliked about the revolver was the plow handle grips. Some folks like 'em, some don't, but they do give the gun a rather distinctive 'look'. The longer barrel will give you some added accuracy as well.

Rugers are among the strongest revolvers around and the two I have owned performed flawlessly with almost any load or bullet combination. I now own a S&W model 29-2 nickel plate in imaculate condition made back in the early 70s, but between the 2, as hunting weapon, I would strongly recommend the Blackhawk.

F. Prefect

quote:

Originally posted by jeffs:
O.K. guys,
After reading about your handgun hog hunt it set me to thinking. I don't have a handgun to speak of and have never hunted with one. I'm now interested in one, any suggestions for a reasonably priced good workhorse of a handgun?
I know that's a loaded question, but all replies are appreciated.
Jeff

For a hunting handgun I'd recommend a TC Contender. Take your pick between a 357 Maximum, 41 Mag, 44 Mag or 45 Colt to get started, any of these will cleanly take deer size critters or hogs. And if you decide to change chambering you can easily swap out the barrel for little cost. Put a quality 2X scope on top and you're set.

Now fellas, the .357 is almost always on a smaller framed gun and is light. I find most .357's have as much recoil as a .44 and it is sharper. I have shot some .357's that make my .475 tame.
Unless one is an expert shot and picks the right bullet for the .357, you can lose animals. I will not even own one anymore.
A survey done long ago when handguns became popular for hunting showed a 50% loss with the .357.
Put a "4" or "5" in front and go hunting. To buy a new hunting gun with a "3" in front will never be my advice. It takes no more effort to shoot a .44 then it does to shoot a .357.
A .44 special load does not kick anymore then .38 either because the gun is heavier.
Now a .45 Colt with a good hunting load can kick HARDER then a .44 because the gun is not only smaller but has less metal in it. Even a Redhawk in .45 weighs less then one in .44.

44 mag, hands down the most versiatile handgun round. Accurate in about any platform you want and that cant be said for the 45 colt. Its much less finiky to work loads up for and the diffence in power between it and max 45 colt loads favors the 45 colt but not enough that game animals will know the diffence between being hit by either. What gun? super blackhawk is hands down the best bang for the buck on the market today in a hunting handgun.

I agree with Lloyd 100%. When you get better, then you can move up. Never move down.
I don't feel that a BFR .475 has much more recoil then a .44 SBH with the same barrel length. Yes, both will shock the new shooter at the first shot but both will become super friends after a while.
My first shot with my flat top .44 in 1956 made me look at the gun to see what blew up. After that I could not put the thing down. My .38 and .357 went down the pike.

i have always said i'd go with a .44 mag 1st. don't care for trigger on the ruger single actions much. lately, infact just this hunting season, i've changed my thinking. got my bud into pistol hunting and he bought a SRH 454 casull. definitely, as whitworth had told me before, it's got more time put into by ruger imho. it's tight. has a useable triger, not as nice as the smith's but much better than any ruger single action i've ever used. he's got a gun in a caliber that he has sooooo many factory options. he started off with a bunch of winchester and corbon factory rounds that are nothing more than a standard .44 mag round. easy to shoot and has had some excellent results with those and has now graduated up to full house loads and handles them well now. theres always the .45 colt to shoot out of it but enough downloaded factory ammo to not have to do that. it's also easy to load very mild .45 colt loads with trailboss powder which you can run 300-360 grain cast loads at 750 to about 1000fps for just close range deer and hog loads if you so choose. soooo you can get a bfr or super redhawk 454 for nearly the same price as the other listed guns, have all the flexibility you'd ever want or need in ONE gun, from deer and plinking to elephant and cape buff loads for well under a grand.

There is definitely something to be said for the flexibility that a .454 offers...... I am having another one built.......

Things are different when hunting. I do not hear the gun, feel the gun or even know I pulled the trigger. It is NOT the same as on the range.
Everything goes on automatic with no thinking at all.
You will never know if it was a .38 or a .475 that went off as long as there is an animal out there instead of a hunk of paper.