Handgun Hunting

rustydale · 08-19-2003, 07:11 PM

What' s the pistol of choice? I' m gonna try whitetalil hunting this year with a pistol and am very excited and can' t hardly wait. I bought the Raging Bull in .480. Are their hunters out their that prefer handgun hunting?

recoiljunky · 08-19-2003, 07:32 PM

You bet!

Although I haven' t shot the 480, it should be more than enough gun for whitetail. I hunt with both a S&W 44 mag and a FA 454 Casull. 100 yards is reasonable range for me with either of these guns and iron sights. Both of these guns have plenty of punch left in them at 100 yards to take whitetail, especially the 454. A lot of people think handgun hunting is just a gimmick but these same people are hunting over food plots that aren' t more than 100 yards long.

As far as handgun of choice, if you' re talking revolvers I' d say the 44 mag is right for most shooters. Those folks with single shot pistols have a lot more range.

Are you reloading? That 480 should be a fun project for reloading. If you think shooting a deer with a handgun is rewarding, try shooting one with handloads fired out of a handgun!

Enjoy!

dvdegeorge · 08-19-2003, 07:59 PM

Love hunting with hand gun,savage superstriker in 7mm08.love that caliber for deer and added challenge of the hand gun.

Vapodog · 08-19-2003, 08:05 PM

Any handgun starting at .41 mag and bigger will do the trick. I' d not advise a .357 Mag for deer. You' ll like your raging bull.....Practice a lot...I never could shoot a handgun with out an optical sight. My eyes don' t focus correctly for handgun shooting so I use a red dot scope. If you find that the point of impact changes a lot from 20 yards to 100 yards, an optical assist might be in order for you too.

rustydale · 08-20-2003, 03:50 PM

Yea my brother in-law wants me to get a die for his machine to re-load. Right now I have Hornady 325 grain hollow points.

t-roy · 08-20-2003, 06:03 PM

i use a .357 mag for deer, it doesn' t have quite the range of the bigger calibers, i try to keep shots within 75 yards. use only quality hunting ammo, i use winchester partition golds, 180 grains.

BareBack Jack · 08-20-2003, 06:59 PM

I have a Ruger Super black hawk 44 mag that I have hunted deer and elk with federal cast-core ammo and buffalo-bore ammo.It has done well for me.
I aslo wan' t a Raging Bull .480, I have shot the ruger modle and I think the caliber is AWSOME.

James B · 08-20-2003, 09:21 PM

I have shot quite a few deer with a handgun. All with 44 Mag for ME there is no other hunting handgun for anything up to and including moose.

Scooter59 · 08-21-2003, 12:06 AM

I hunt with a pistol occassionally, though I' m normally a rifle hunter. When I do hunt with a pistol its with T/C Encore .243 w/ 15" barrel and Leupold scope.

Steelshooter · 08-23-2003, 12:36 AM

Handgun hunting for deer? Easy...Thompson Center Contender or Encore. The Contender I have enjoyed the 7-30 Waters and in my Encore the 308.