I'd like to start hunting Mule Deer with a handgun. I''m not new to handguns, however I've never used one to hunt with. 1st. Does anyone hunt with a .41mag or 45long colt, they have both been recommended elsewhere. Is the .41mag still being chambered and is it enough cartridge for muleys? I'd also like some info on guns chambered for it and the 45LC. Who makes the best handgun, trigger pull, timing, fit and finish and finally guarantee or waranty.
I had a 44mag in T/C that was no fun at all to shoot, left me black and blue and the trigger was very heavy.

I'm sure the 41 magnum is fine, I know the 44 magnum and 45 Colt are. The DA revolvers and the T/C single-shots don't offer a fella much relief from recoil. The Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter is being made in 41, 44, and 45 and now comes with the Bisley grip shape that gives a shooter every advantage when it comes to controlling recoil. Their regular Bisley comes in 357, 44, and 45. Most folks will agree the best off the shelf hunting revolvers are made by Freedom Arms, but for three or four times the price of a Ruger they ought to be. The Freedom Arms guns come chambered for the calibers you seek and (in their Model 83) the 454 and 475 too boot. Good hunting!

Go with the .44 Mag. S&W ported. I have shot another 29 .44 mag. (ouch), a .41 SW and a .45 long colt. I think I would prefer the ported .44 Mag. You will get all of the power and a fun gun to shoot esp. with 44 specials. The biggest drawback is muzzle flash at night.

I can do anything with a .41 you can do with a .44, and do it with less powder, less recoil and a flatter trajectory. A 210 or 220-grain bullet from a .41 will take out a mule deer out to 100 yards. Just practice, and put the bullet where it belongs, making sure you stay within your comfort zone for putting the bullet where it has to go. The deer deserves that...

And I love Smiths. I own an FA 654, but there is just something about a Smith and Wesson revolver...

My vote would be for the 45 colt loaded with 300 to 325 grain hard cast bullets to 1200 fps or so this load has proven to me to be very effective on a veriety of game. I used a 44 mag for years before going to the 45 and will not go back to the 44 as it is not as effective as the 45 caliber. One gentleman said that the 41 would do anything that the 44 will and that seems to be the case the 41 210 grain bullets will outpenetrate the 240 grain 44 bullet of equall construction I found that hard to brlieve many years ago, but each test proved the 41's abillity to penetrate.

It all depends on your skill at shooting out past 25 yds and how much ammo you're willing to expend to gain confidence at yardages out to 100 yds and every now then, slightly past that.
Paco Kelly said a few years back that for every hunting load shot, he had shot that many rounds at a particular distance; if you have a heavy loaded 45 Colt and you wanted to shoot at 100 yds, you had to shoot at least 100 rounds at that distance. Start at 25 yds and get all your hits with your heavy loads into 2" or less then go to 50 yds. After that, when you get all accurate hits, go to 75 yds, etc. It's no easy chore to get the skill needed and you always have to practice regularly or your skills diminish over time.

A 357 with good bullets is enough for Mule Deer. The most important thing is to get a gun that you can shoot accuratly, ie. no black and blue, hard trigger...
Do you handload? If so that will open up lots more options for you. A big gun can be loaded down, but a small gun will always be a small gun. There's nothing wrong with haveing a variety though.
A Ruger Bisley Hunter would be very nice. You would get a strong Ruger action, the Bisley grip and the option of mounting a scope on it if you wanted.

What I've seen, is that most of you are passionate about your cal. and weapon choice. I have never hunted with a pistol, although I've owned several. Some of you lean toward a smaller, faster cartridge, some lean to the heavier, bigger cart.
Which cartidge gives the best penetration and at what kind of distance? Do any of you cast your own bullets for hunting?
Thanks

I definatly lean more towards the bigger end of things, but I wouldn't be afraid to use a 30 carbine if the shot presented it'self.
I have loaded 330gn hard cast 44mag bullets to 1500fps+ and shot clear through 18+ inches of live green pine tree. I don't think that I will ever need that kind of penetration for a deer.
I also have a BFR in 45-70 that I have pushed 405's to 1750. I've only shot paper with that one though.
My favorite carry gun is a Ruger 4 5/8" blackhawk in 45 colt with Bisley cylinder and Houge monogrip. I have some 350gn LFN style with 90% nose that cut a long deep hole even on a glanceing shot. I hit a little right and cut a nice 1/2 45 cal groove down the side of an Elks head. It was down in it's tracks, but I put another one in when I got up to it and saw it was still twitching.
I think the most important thing for deer would be to get a gun that you can shoot accuratly. Practice on 2 liter bottles out to 100yds, then try a 5 gal plastic bucket lid at 150 and 200yds.
I bought my 17 YO son a 4 5/8" blackhawk in 45 colt for christmas last year. We were at the range shooting clay pidgeons off the 100yd berm. Once we got the sights set, we were hitting atleast 90% of the time.
I think it's good to push yourself and try for smaller targets to hone your shooting skills.

All good advice. The only thing missing is consideration of gun weight and size. The beauty of having a dedicated revolver for hunting is that even at 4 pounds, its not really a problem and often a big advantage in the accuracy department. I tried 5 different revolvers and 8 different chamberings before i found that the good old 44 mag is just the ticket in a Taurus hunter with the std 12 inch bbl.

The grips, weight and forward balace mitigate the 44s recoil, even with hot loads, and it duplicates the 44 mag ballistics from a carbine. My moderate level of skill is still good for 5 MOA, and two of my friends get 3 MOA simply because they are better handgun shooters.

The long bbl lends itself to muzzle down carry in a small back pack with the grips right by my right ear. I never know its there until I need it, so hunting becomes a walk in the woods...

I've been thru Super Blackhawks, 29s and 629s and they are fine guns, but think about a Dan Wesson with the 8" heavy rib in .41 or .44 Mag. They are more accurate than a Smith and can be "tuned" to the load by adjusting the tension on the barrel nut. They have a good solid rib on the top for scope mounting and have the best factory trigger around. Mine has a 2x Leupold with a 3 ring mount and will shoot inside 4" at 100 yds with the Keith load, 22 grains of 2400 with the Lyman 429421 cast from wheel weights it runs about 250 gr. Elmer wasn't wrong!! Sometimes I use H110 and 240 gr HP....both work well!!

Better choice for long range (over 80 yds or so for me), try an Encore with 15" barrel in 7mm-08 with a Weaver 2.5-8x. 115 gr Speer hollow points ahead of 40.0 gr of Varget shoots inside 6" at 200 yds (gun can do better) from a good rest and recoil is pretty nice.

There are a bunch of other good guns out there that will do the job just fine, but these are my choices and I'm hoping the Dan Wesson will kill my 24th handgun deer this fall. It took a nice Corsica Ram at 65 yds running last Mar in TN. I believe the scope allows you to shoot confidently beyond bow range. Regardless of what you select....practice practice practice and good luck!!!