Who hunts with a handgun for big game?
 

Revolver?
Semi-Auto?
Single-Shot Specialty Pistol?

If so, what types of animals?

I hunted for many years for deer and hogs with a handgun. I have used revolvers (.44 mag, 357 mag & .357max) single shot Contenders in .357max, 30-30,.375 Win & .50 caliber Black Powder.

Excellent!
I use revolver and single-shot specialty pistols as well.
E

I live in Gillette.
Good luck in getting back into the swing of all things handguns

I would love to see you go all in with a handgun, but everyone has their own ting.
E

I purchased mine in about 1983 , used it almost constantly ever since.
YES IT REQUIRES a shoulder holster to use comfortably
it may not be popular but its incredibly accurate and I know a few dozen deer and hogs and an a couple elk regretted its introduction
the front sites got four independently adjustable heights allowing you to accurately zero the pistol at four different ranges each of the 4 front site positions on the 10 5/8" barrel S&W is INDIVIDUALLY adjustable and the front site height can be almost instantly swapped by spinning a selector wheel in the site base
Ive got mine set on
50 yards
100 yards
150 yards
200 yards
once you site in, its dead on at the range selected, I generally leave it set at 100 yards, its close enough to be used in 90% of my shots set like that

btw
you can get really close by sighting in to hit 1.5" high at 25 yards =100 yard zero
you can get really close by sighting in to hit 3.2" high at 25 yards =150 yard zero
you can get really close by sighting in to hit 5.3" high at 25 yards =200 yard zero

I used a 21 grain charge of H110 under a LEE 310 grain hard cast 44 cal. bullet seated out to the lower crimp groove

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/5...cf-430-diameter-310-grain-flat-nose-gas-check
MOLD DC C 430-310-RF

Ive also used and own a 10" dan wesson 445 super mag


http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt445sm.htm
30 grains of h110 with the same hard cast 310grain lee bullet

the 445 DWSM has a marginally flatter trajectory, hits a bit harder as its 1500 fps vs about 1350 fps with the 44 mag
either revolver shoots clear through any deer , the 44 mag has killed 2 elk
think archery , get in under 50 yards if you can and precisely place your first shot
do that and you have zero issues
the 445 DWSM is significantly heavier, noticeably more accurate
3-4" 100 yard groups with the 44 mag off a bench rest
the dwsm is about 2"-3" off a bench rest

love hand gun hunting mostly use t/c 's especially the contender in 45-70 think i will be using the hand cannons moer now that my shoulders are really starting to give me fit's & a lot of pain lately

learning to accurately shoot any magnum revolver takes practice, its a learned skill,
I recently spent some time at a local range with a buddy that I handload his 500 mag for ,
who purchased and uses a 7.5" barrel 500 S&W revolver.
he claims it much easier to shoot that a ruger single action 6.5" bisley 454 cassul he owns
we found that the lee 440 grain, 50 cal,gas check bullet mold throws a projectile thats about 470 grain weight
I found that 22 grains of blue dot powder is under that projectile very consistently accurate.
at the local range we temporarily exchanged revolvers thus allowing both of us to try out the other guys revolver
the 500 S&W he owns is certainly consistently accurate, but its rather massive heavy and I doubt a beginning handgun enthusiast,
would be able to handle the recoil or hit anything past 20 yards except by luck.
it takes frequent practice to master a magnum revolver like a 445 dwsm , 454 casull or 500 mag,
if you want to place shots in lets ,say a 5"-6" max group size youll want to maintain at 100 yards to remain consistently effective,
and thats not nearly as easy shooting from feild positions as it is off a bench rest at a range.
he found my 44 mag revolver quite accurate and has decided to start looking for a similar revolver.
I let several of the guys at the range who showed interest shoot my 445 DWSM and my friend did something similar,

allowing several guys try a few shots with his 500 mag, it was obvious that neither revolver was something a less experienced person,
would easily master, in fact even my 44 mag seemed to be pushing past the limits most guys were comfortable with,

as even at 50 yards most of the guys who tried to shoot groups were not impressing anyone with the results.


https://www.midwayusa.com/product/2...um-501-diameter-440-grain-flat-nose-gas-check


with any decent quality hunting revolver, youll need a durable functional holster




http://www.opticsplanet.com/desantis...m40ba05z0.html
$77


but you can certainly improve results with constant practice.

btw I have shot 150-160 lb hogs in the chest with that 44 mag 310 grain hard cast lee bullet over 21 grains of h110 powder.
and have the projectiles exit the hogs ham so lack of penetration is not a problem
I use a 95% ww alloy and 5% pure tin alloy.
Ive used the same lead alloy in the 500 mag over 22 grains of blue dot, and got good results

Nice revolvers!

I hunt more with the single-specialty pistols myself, but I did take a Buck antelope with a 44 Mag revolver, at 110 yards, and coyote at 91 yards with a different 44 Mag, then a doe antelope just under 125 yards with a 686 S&W.

Thanks!
I do like to play at distance, and enable others to do so as well:D

I have been known to tip over whitetail deer with a T/C Contender in 7mm TCU. I also used to swat the occassional mulie and even one cow elk with a Ruger in 41 Mag.

I've shot several deer , both mule deer and whitetail. My first elk and many bears with a S&W model 57, 41 mag. I hunted bears with dogs until the state of Wa outlawed them , for a little over 20 years and the 41 mag was my gun of choice. I also killed my first antelope with a model 66 S&W 357 mag.

I depend on my DA Ruger SuperRedhawk 454 Casull/45 Long Colt for 'bear medicine' --- though I'm still wishing to hunt a T-Rex with it...while on some alien planet 'SOMEWHERE OUT THERE' from a far-away star system.

Given half-the-chance...I know ol' timer would gladly provide me with a free one way ticket there.:D

My very first handgun is a Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 magnum. It goes with me whenever I am bear hunting, but never as my primary weapon.

I've been shooting this gun for 30+ years and have no worries about making a kill shot out to 50 yards. Whenever a bear comes in, I think "Why should I use this when I have a perfectly good rifle?"

Once in 2016 I was at bear camp in Maine and decided to go in with my revolver only. A small bear came in, but I decided it wasn't worth taking (probably about 50 lbs).

Time to draw some blood with that!

-Jake

Last bear was my furthest - 55 yards back in August. I didn't feel practiced enough with it to take that shot, so the .338 Federal dispatched that bruin. The gun itself is more than capable, but it was zeroed using hollow points, which shoot a bit lower than the Buffalo Bores I bring for bear protection.

Given a choice between using an open sight handgun and a rifle, the vast majority of people who are not very confident in using their handgun of choice.
will, almost always revert to a rifle if the range exceeds about 50 yards simply due to the fact most people are far more effective in using a rifle.
use of a handgun requires a good deal of practice and ,shooting from a sitting position or over a good rest
,like with your back against a solid tree,
and your elbows between your knees certainly helps consistency or shooting over a large log or other rest,helps accuracy.
for most of us it takes several years of practice to become even somewhat consistent at hitting targets past 50 yards
using a hand gun,
thus finding a prime location to wait for game to pass with a good field of fire increases your odds of success,
or still hunting where your shots tend to be at under about 50 yards aids in increasing your odds.

Well, no one says it has to be iron sights, but I sure don't have a problem with anyone who uses irons exclusively.
I just never (very rarely) have a rifle with me.
I hunt with revolvers and single-shot specialty pistols.
The specialty pistols, depending on their set-up have the same distance capability as a rifle, just more challenging to use it in field rests

Don't know if you were talking to me, hardcast, but I'm very confident shooting my .44 magnum revolver well past 50 yards, if sighted in. Problem is, I typically don't sight it in for those distances. Also, the hollowpoints I normally use have a much lower trajectory than the Buffalo Bores I carry for bear backup. My worry is that I would miss a bear at 50 yards due to this lack of sighting.

In contrast, I typically put about 100-200 rounds through each of my hunting rifles every spring/summer in preparation for bear season. Not that it will ever happen here, but I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a bear past 300 yards with any of my hunting rifles.

I did hunt with a handgun for many years.

I use pistols to cover more territory in the hills.
They are large, tho, and require a bandelero holster to carry
6x45mm in the contender
I kick the legs off for field use

I don't use a holster but I use center-grip and rear-grip specialty pistols in cartridges that even some riflemen consider large.