Hey guys/gals, I need some expert advice. I am going to buy a handgun for hunting deer, and I am not sure with all the options out there what the best caliber would be. I want something that is readily available ammo-wise, something with manageable recoil, and something that is not considered "marginal" on game. I also want to have it chambered in a revolver. Lastly I don't want to pay an arm and a leg. So far I am thinking 44mag in a ruger super blackhawk. Any pro's / con's you can add?

Thanks!

quote:

Originally posted by Luke Blathewick:
Hey guys/gals, I need some expert advice. I am going to buy a handgun for hunting deer, and I am not sure with all the options out there what the best caliber would be. I want something that is readily available ammo-wise, something with manageable recoil, and something that is not considered "marginal" on game. I also want to have it chambered in a revolver. Lastly I don't want to pay an arm and a leg. So far I am thinking 44mag in a ruger super blackhawk. Any pro's / con's you can add?

Thanks!

If you want a revolver, .44Mag is probably the most versatile bang for the buck in hunting handguns. John Gallagher specializes in fine hunting handguns, fellow I went to gunsmith college with. He's tried about everything you can put in a revolver and you're most likely to find him carrying a .44Mag in the woods up to and including grizzly bear hunts. Uses those 330 grain super hard casts for bears.

I've got one and a .45-70/.450 Marlin (interchangable wheels) Magnum Research BFR. Marlin will kill anything on the planet but it's pretty severe in recoil. .45-70 is a pussycat to shoot compared to it or hot .44 Magnums but BFRs are BIG and HEAVY.

Sorta depends on what you want to do. .357 Magnum works mighty fine as a deer and smaller cartridge with good shot placement as do a number of other cartridges easily found in revolvers.

With your conditions and terms above, I'd say Super Blackhawk .44Mag.
If you don't reload and you want the hottest loads you'll find off the shelf go to Garrett.

Thanks Tom, that is exactly what I was hoping to hear! I think I will go with the original choice SBH in 44mag and I will definitely check out the Garret loads!

A Ruger SBH Bisley Hunter in 44mag or 41mag is a good choice. FOr a non handloader, the 44mag is really the only choice. There are a wide variety of good hunting loads for deer-elk. The RSBH hunter is also readily scoped if you want to go that route later. http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger_Bisley_Hunter.htm

Luke:

If you are recoil shy, or haven't shot a big bore much, you should also consider a .41 Magnum. That said, a .44 Mag gives you more versatility.

One thing I'd like to point out, you don't need Garret loads in a .44 Mag for deer. Deer are not elephants and you can easily kill every deer that walks with much less power than the Garrets supply (BTW this is not a slap at Garrets, fine ammo, just expensive and not necessary for deer sized critters).....less power =s less recoil, =s more fun to shoot and practice with. Unless you have deep pockets, reloading is the only way to go for .41s/.44s, etc since to become a decent shot there is only one sure recipe and that begins with lead down the barrel. If your rounds cost so much that you cringe when you shoot a box or two then you won't practice enough. Good luck and the RSBH is a fine pistol. Get a set of Wolf springs for one and you'll have something you can work with. If you're going to carry it a lot and hunt with it some, I'd consider a barrel in the 6 inch or less length, if you're mostly going to shoot it out of a stand or whatever, then 7 1/2 or even 10 will work well.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:

One thing I'd like to point out, you don't need Garret loads in a .44 Mag for deer. Deer are not elephants and you can easily kill every deer that walks with much less power than the Garrets supply (BTW this is not a slap at Garrets, fine ammo, just expensive and not necessary for deer sized critters)...

.357 Mags are quite sufficient for deer sized game. Non-Garrett .44 Mag loads are borderline insufficient for true large North American game, completely insufficient on the dark continent with thick skinned beasts. Seems some form of .44Mag is his best bet for his generally stated purposes. I was just pointing out if you wanted to "not risk being underpowered" that Garrett was the way to go if you don't reload. Maybe keep a box around for when you're hiking in bear country. Wouldn't waste them on deer.

For plinking you can shoot .44 Specials in it for reduced loads too, though the ammo costs aren't really any cheaper than plinker .44Mag prices.

quote:

Originally posted by tom`:

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:

One thing I'd like to point out, you don't need Garret loads in a .44 Mag for deer. Deer are not elephants and you can easily kill every deer that walks with much less power than the Garrets supply (BTW this is not a slap at Garrets, fine ammo, just expensive and not necessary for deer sized critters)...

.357 Mags are quite sufficient for deer sized game. Non-Garrett .44 Mag loads are borderline insufficient for true large North American game, completely insufficient on the dark continent with thick skinned beasts. Seems some form of .44Mag is his best bet for his generally stated purposes. I was just pointing out if you wanted to "not risk being underpowered" that Garrett was the way to go if you don't reload. Maybe keep a box around for when you're hiking in bear country. Wouldn't waste them on deer.

For plinking you can shoot .44 Specials in it for reduced loads too, though the ammo costs aren't really any cheaper than plinker .44Mag prices.

I'm not sure I can agree w/ either statement, your opinion of course, but there isn't anything in NA, w/ the exception of big browns bears, that a good 44mag/300gr load won't kill quite adequately. Same can be said for heavy loaded 45colts. The 357mag to me, is marginal on big deer except at very close range. A 41mag, 44mag or heavy 45colt will kill very cleanly out to 100yds & do so w/o heavy 300gr loads. Any of the 210gr-260grSP @ 1200fps+ will work well. The XTP loads penetrate deeply as well.

Depends on where you hunt. Brush, ranges shots taken, average size of deer in your region...Any of the above will work if you keep in mind how the variables stack up before you pull the trigger or choose not to pull the trigger. I've NOT shot a lot of deer with everything from .223s and .357 Magnums to .450 Marlins and .308 Norma Magnums. A sizable amount of my hunting career has involved me not taking shots if the odds were bad. I've also shot a few along the way. And, for good or for bad, I've taken shots I shouldn't have, even if I sometimes got lucky and got away with it. Lots of the white tails around here are pretty scrawny due to lack of rain. Large dog size, maybe, if that. Easily doable with a .357.

quote:

Originally posted by tom`:
Depends on where you hunt. Brush, ranges shots taken, average size of deer in your region...Any of the above will work if you keep in mind how the variables stack up before you pull the trigger or choose not to pull the trigger. I've NOT shot a lot of deer with everything from .223s and .357 Magnums to .450 Marlins and .308 Norma Magnums. A sizable amount of my hunting career has involved me not taking shots if the odds were bad. I've also shot a few along the way. And, for good or for bad, I've taken shots I shouldn't have, even if I sometimes got lucky and got away with it. Lots of the white tails around here are pretty scrawny due to lack of rain. Large dog size, maybe, if that. Easily doable with a .357.

THe deer must be the only thing in Texas that aren't bigger! Yep, I've seen Texas WT, not like deer closer to the Canadian border. A 357mag w/ good bullets would be fine for most deer under 150#.

Shoot and fondle as many as possible, rent at a range even though it seems expensive. Experiment with DA vs. SA too. Get the one that fits and feels the best.

quote:

Originally posted by treg:
Shoot and fondle as many as possible, rent at a range even though it seems expensive. Experiment with DA vs. SA too. Get the one that fits and feels the best.

I've never met a hunter in my life that shoots DA when hunting. There's absolutely no reason to. Maybe a DA shot or three has been fired by a backup emergency bear wheelgun, but not when intentionally hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by tom`:

quote:

Originally posted by treg:
Shoot and fondle as many as possible, rent at a range even though it seems expensive. Experiment with DA vs. SA too. Get the one that fits and feels the best.

I've never met a hunter in my life that shoots DA when hunting. There's absolutely no reason to. Maybe a DA shot or three has been fired by a backup emergency bear wheelgun, but not when intentionally hunting.

Tom, the benefit of a DA rev. is the shorter lock time most have over the looong hammer fall of a SA like te RUger. Not to mention that some just don;t like the SA grip frame & there are more grip options for a DA rev.

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:

quote:

Originally posted by tom`:

quote:

Originally posted by treg:
Shoot and fondle as many as possible, rent at a range even though it seems expensive. Experiment with DA vs. SA too. Get the one that fits and feels the best.

I've never met a hunter in my life that shoots DA when hunting. There's absolutely no reason to. Maybe a DA shot or three has been fired by a backup emergency bear wheelgun, but not when intentionally hunting.

Tom, the benefit of a DA rev. is the shorter lock time most have over the looong hammer fall of a SA like te RUger. Not to mention that some just don;t like the SA grip frame & there are more grip options for a DA rev.

Never met a hunter that hunted DA.

When I meet one, I shall let you know.

I know a lot of Contender, Encore, SBH, and BFR hunters.

Lock time and hammer fall distance aren't a fixed thing unless you're an "out of the box is how it must stay" person. You can make different hammers with different notch positioning and use/make different springs, or at least I do. Same with grips.

There are plenty of DA revolvers with slow lock times and long hammer falls as well.

quote:

Originally posted by tom`:
Never met a hunter that hunted DA.

When I meet one, I shall let you know.

I know a lot of Contender, Encore, SBH, and BFR hunters.

Lock time and hammer fall distance aren't a fixed thing unless you're an "out of the box is how it must stay" person. You can make different hammers with different notch positioning and use/make different springs, or at least I do. Same with grips.

There are plenty of DA revolvers with slow lock times and long hammer falls as well.

That may be Tom, but it is what it is. I think the Ruger SA have the longest hammer fall of any rev. Doesn't make them bad, I hunt w/ one. I also hunt w/ a DA S&W & DanWesson, great rev. THere is no downside to shooting a DA rev. none at all. What about all those S&W, Redhawk & Super Redhawks out there? You must know someone using a DA rev.

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:

quote:

Originally posted by tom`:
Never met a hunter that hunted DA.

When I meet one, I shall let you know.

I know a lot of Contender, Encore, SBH, and BFR hunters.

Lock time and hammer fall distance aren't a fixed thing unless you're an "out of the box is how it must stay" person. You can make different hammers with different notch positioning and use/make different springs, or at least I do. Same with grips.

There are plenty of DA revolvers with slow lock times and long hammer falls as well.

That may be Tom, but it is what it is. I think the Ruger SA have the longest hammer fall of any rev. Doesn't make them bad, I hunt w/ one. I also hunt w/ a DA S&W & DanWesson, great rev. THere is no downside to shooting a DA rev. none at all. What about all those S&W, Redhawk & Super Redhawks out there? You must know someone using a DA rev.

Nope. Mostly Contender and Encore people. Some BFR people. Some John Gallagher custom people. Some Ruger SA people. The people I know that have DA guns they have them for hiking in bear country, but it's not the primary hunting arm. I'm sure they are out there, just don't seem to be in my social circles. Maybe I've actually met some but it didn't come up in conversation because I don't have much interest in DA guns?

I have some of all the above except no Gallagher yet. I like single actions and T/Cs, some people like GLOCKs over 1911s and I like 1911s. Same sort of thing. We're all bigoted in our own ways I guess. Like my firearms instructor/shooting buddy said when I started experimenting with some handguns I didn't really like but wanted to learn to shoot well out of curiosity and was not getting good results. "Why you trying to fix what ain't broke?" So I'll stick with what I like I guess.

I'm not really brand picky about my guns. It's just there are so many choices & one isn;t better than another when talking DA vs SA in straight wall rev. carts. Back in the day, about all you had foir hunting handguns were long bbl. S&W & Ruger rev. I mean really, what else would you do w/ a 7 1/2"-8 3/8" 44mag rev? Not exactly holster friendly for the back packer.

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:
...I mean really, what else would you do w/ a 7 1/2"-8 3/8" 44mag rev? Not exactly holster friendly for the back packer.

I marched around Africa with a .375H&H rifle slung over my shoulder and with a 14.5" barrel .450 Marlin and 10" .45-70 revolver? Had custom drop holsters built just for that purpose so I didn't have to reach into my armpit while drawing the beasts on the beests. I have a couple wildebeest on my walls courtesy of those options. No baits, no blinds because I don't sit still well. Maybe I'm 40 and have ADHD?

Next time around is gonna be Capes and Warthogs (and the occasional monkey or baboon).

I say all of this from a purely shooting aspect coming from a former IHMSA shooter's perspective (before they finally went off the deep end several years ago), never hunted deer in my life, and do very little hunting overall. I just don't have the patience.

The most customizable is probably a TC or other single shot, and a well balanced TC with a 30/30 improved should meet all your requirements although that is probaly stretching the recoil one. There are easier to shoot calibers of course, that is just an example of an upper boundary.

If you are going more traditional style, the modern DA wheelgun designs are extremely forgiving of recoil even with heavy bullets like the 460, 480, 500 and 454. They would make a 44 seem like a kitten (at least that's how my 454 does with 45 colt loads). Trigger may be a difficult thing to find to your liking, but the modern low-axis forward tilt argonomics and porting are wonderful. Ammo will probably be handload affair or else pricey.

If you are sticking with the famous 4 (357, 41, 44, 45) then the redhawks and dan wessons are pretty nice, and I've handled some really nice triggers on both. Dan Wessons are a hell of a deal used too, they just have no resale value although they are awesome. I just sold a 445 supermag, 10" barrel, for $300 and a personal favor. I doubt I could have gotten $400 for it.

I'm not at all a fan of the old SAA designs, they have a high axis, they are not the least bit ergonomic, and I just don't like fiddling with SA wheelguns (although that goes back to a shooting, not hunting perspective). They also realy let you know that the bullet has left the barrel. If you have no problem with them then you might find this the most inexpensive route, especially new.

Just my 2cents.

quote:

Originally posted by ScottB:
I say all of this from a purely shooting aspect coming from a former IHMSA shooter's perspective (before they finally went off the deep end several years ago), never hunted deer in my life, and do very little hunting overall. I just don't have the patience.

The most customizable is probably a TC or other single shot, and a well balanced TC with a 30/30 improved should meet all your requirements although that is probaly stretching the recoil one. There are easier to shoot calibers of course, that is just an example of an upper boundary.

I don't have the patience to blind hunt. For Texas hunting purposes my favorite is a T/C Contender in 30-30 AckleyImproved with 10" barrel and iron sights. I can shoot it one or two handed. It's not braked, and it's as easy to one hand bullseye style shoot as my 4.5" smith .357Mag 66-2 duty-type police revolver. It's damn accurate. It'll drop anything you're likely to find in Texas. And it's handed picking your way through the cedars HUNTING. That thing they call "hunting" that involves sitting in a blind someplace and trying to be silent and not smell human for hours on end I call "being bored sitting in a blind". Probably the same reason my competitive shooting was IPSC/IDPA, not bullseye, even though I have bullseye skills.

I'll admit to owning some large hand cannon (up to ele cartridge sized Encores), but those are for Africa usage, not the US. Have a .458 Lott rifle for the same reasons. Almost never gets shot in the USA. Nothing to shoot it at in the US.

I kind of feel the same way, I enjoy tracking around, identifying the runs, that sort of thing. But it takes more time than I can spare to make it enjoyable.

But on the other hand, and I guess because you get so involved in the whole thing, turkey hunting is similar to blind sitting in some ways but that is really enjoyable to me. And again I've been quail hunting (semi canned) when it just plained sucked, and had more fun working with the dogs on that trip.

I don't have too much to compare with the TC I described so I placed that near an upper limit for his recoil spec, very subjective though. It definitely barked and bit but that trigger was like melted butter and honey on french toast, and it would be (IMO) a really good choice for that style pistol. I've never shot an XP style except in rimfire.

But tom, I use a DA wheelgun almost exclusively for hunting brush and I am not alone. Unless you meant DA as in method and not just a DA gun cocked and shot SA. In that case I don't see much difference for the one shot you usually get.

quote:

Originally posted by ScottB:
But tom, I use a DA wheelgun almost exclusively for hunting brush and I am not alone. Unless you meant DA as in method and not just a DA gun cocked and shot SA. In that case I don't see much difference for the one shot you usually get.

I shoot DAs single action if I shoot them, hunting or otherwise...that's why I mostly own single actions. Force of habit and they work for me.

Last time I tried "blind hunting 4 leggers" I took a book along and got caught up in reading the book and missed the deer my partner got because I was reading a book and he was paying attention...

Happy Hunting.
tom`

Thanks guys, alot of great info here. I have been researching and am now thinking about a contender, for the price I can add different barrels and get moe bang for the buck in the long run. I have a 35 rem so I am thinking that would be a good caliber to start with on deer, or maybe a 45-70.