Here is a collection of shells I have recently recieved or had on hand. As can be seen by these from size alone it's obvious which should and should not be considered "big game" capable. they are as follows from right to left:
9mm-38sp-357mag-44sp-44/40-45ACP- Not good for big game with any bullet I have seen used in them. Some rounds pictured were for size comparison only.
10mm-41mag these are the shells that make the minimum and can be very good with proper bullets
44mag-45LC-454-480-50AE-500 linebaugh. These work with about anything you load and I consider them the working handguns for hunters.

The guns .454 and above are a handful and not considered realistic for the average "joe" but for the experienced handgunner with high recoil tolerance they rock!

Thanks to all of you who helped me with this. Sometime after the article is published I will repost this photo and the text.



[ 03-11-2003, 18:21: Message edited by: JJHACK ]

HI,

JJ HACK, I am getting a 500mag, 500Linebaugh, from MR. Clements very soon.I will have a 505 inch barrel on it and hope to load a 475 gain WFN to around 1200 fps what do you think as from your post it looks like you have a lot of experience with large bore handguns, I am just curious. Thanks,Kev

If it's more then a 44 mag it's more then enough for the game you hunt. The bigger quaetion is the shooter of those wrist wrenching cannons! The Week link is not the equipment, but the operator.

I've always been curious about the guns this big. The really do approach the weight of a light weight rifle and probably equal the cost of a custom light weight rifle. I have a friend with a 6 pound 270 which is a whole lot more functional then a giant heavy revolver with about equal killing power but much longer range. My 30/06 is 7.5 pounds and with a sling is easy to carry. Some of those huge revolvers are heavy and not all that easy to pack around on your hip. With a shoulder holster they are awkwaard with a pack frame.

They are impressive for a novelty or a treestand hunting gun I suppose. For my purposes they serve very little use if I cannot pack them easily. I have seen most of the bigger bore guns kill big game and they work nice and provide "tons" of power. If it's a field of hunting and weaponry you enjoy like archery, muzzleloader, crossbow, etc. The guns bigger then .44 mag have no shortage of power.

I guess it matters most to those who want to hunt with a handgun exclusive.

JJHack,

You consider the 10mm Auto to be viable, but NOT the .44-40? Interesting logic process there.

How would you feel about the .38-40? Did you know that the .38-40 and the 10mm Auto are near duplicates in performance? Why then is the .44-40 less a cartridge than the 10mm Auto? Despite 20 gr. additional bullet weight and .019 extra bullet diameter, it is more anemic?

I bet you get a lot of reader mail!

HI,

JJ Hack, I am on the same page as you are, that is why I went with a 5.5 inch barrel as to keep it more of a packgun. I have a 44 mag with a scope and with a 7.5 inch barrel ,it is not much easier to carry than a rifle which is much better for droping game. I will just use this 500mag for a packgun, no scope cross draw carry. Thanks,Kev

Hobie, Please keep this in perspective. Anyone wishing to draw conclusions with out sufficient backup would have zero value in this business. I have not seen a single person ever use the 44/40 on a bear or any game for that matter. I have never even seen a gun in this caliber unloaded or even for sale in a shop. The popularity of the gun is low to non-existant in a hunting handgun. At least in my area! Why should it be considered for this. Can you imagine the overwhelming size of a document that included every possible hangun ever produced? As I said before I have written this Article based on what I have seen used and what I have used myself. I won't comment on those I don't know about. On paper it's a fine round. If the reader has the intelligence to recognise the ballistics of his particular round and matches them to a gun's performance on the list as written, why would it matter if each specific gun is listed or not? I think some people refer to this common trait as "reading between the lines".

As far as reader mail goes, you bet I have plenty! Mostly asking opinions on outfitters, guide's and equipment.

JJHACK
Looking for if for a new article? From your list-it depneds on the Big Game animal to be hunted and where? Whitetail in southern states are fairly small- so you might include every thing down to 357 Mag on that list. Now northern whitetail I would move up past 357 mag to 44 Sp not to include 45ACP-I know I'm going to get jumped on this- yes a 45 ACP with 250gr-260 gr bullets will kill deer. But there are better chioces. Out west I would start with 41 Mag on up, want to be able to reach out to 100yds or more and have a velocity of at least 1100 fps at the target minimum.

There was a story a few years back, of a Fish & Game person, who said handguns were useless, and suggested only a rifle or shotgun. Anyway, on one rare occasion, someone let him borrow a handgun, and so had it on his hip. Being in camp, he heard some noise in his tent, and figuring it was some small pests, messing with his gear, he went in to check it out, only to be surprised with not a little pest, but a bear! He barely had time to draw the handgun, but enough to drop the bear. A lucky shot probably, but he later said his rifle was leaning on tree. The same situation occurs for most fishermen. They got enough problems with all their fishing gear and all, and numerous stories of them in their waders in the water, and a bear comes behind them, between them and their shotgun or rifle leaning on the tree on shore. Handguns "sometimes" have their place?

Gents,
I'll have to throw a log on the fire and add a bit of history here. I read a few quotes about using the Scofield Smith & Wesson to kill buffalo from horse back. This cartridge is a short .45 Colt with a few other minor changes. For logistic reasons the Army standardized on the short round for all their Colt single action army revolvers as well as the S&W revolvers. The same round was supposed to be good at killing Indian ponys at a considerable distance. The round the military selected to replace the .45 "Long" Colt (after an ineffective .38 that failed in the Phillipines) was a duplicate of the Scofield S&W round, the .45 ACP. Any .40 caliber 200 grain round that makes two holes in the target can't be ignored for effectiveness. Granted it's not the best big game round, but with the right bullet they have / would work. I guess, with respect to JJ, I'd look at bullet suitability instead of case capacity or caliber. Any round that breaks one rib going in, puntures both lungs and beaks one rib going out should kill game within reason. I'm not a .357 Magnum fan, but many states allow .22 Centerfire rifles for deer hunting, and this is a equal to them within its range limitations. One adventuresome soul even used a .30 Luger for black bear, because it had very high velocity and this impressed him.
If you're after truely big, dangerous game, then you should be using a proper big bore rife, or have someone near by with one!
Always enjoy your posts and keep up the good work JJ.
Carson

HI,

This may sound like Bill Clinton, fliping and flopping, but I agree with CARSAON and HHI812. The reason for this if one knows for sure he is hunting big dangerous game I say YES relie on a rifle, but never take anything for granted, be prepared. I may just leave my rifle out of reach and will have a handgun within reach. That is why I say I like to have a handgun with a shorter barrel and no scope. The lenght is up to that person, I like a 5.5 or 6 inch. I know a handgun in a 475 or 500 Linebaugh will stop a bear for sure I will have it.I will move to ALASKA soon and I will have a 500 Linebaugh, SS BISLEY from MR . Clements handgun and carry it all the Time. Thanks,Kev