kellyguinn

While its up I have heard good things about the .460 Magnum. But I don't hunt with a handgun myself. At least not yet lol

hardcastonly

I have several friends that have either 460 S&W or 500 S&W revolvers they use for hunting,
personally If given the option I think after looking at dozens of the ballistic jell and hunting videos that the 500 mag holds a slight power and penetration edge if the heavier 440 plus grain hard cast bullets are used, hollow point bullets don,t seem to bring out the revolvers full potential, but either would work, and recoil is a problem for many people with either cartridge if either revolver is loaded to the revolvers full potential.

Blackelk

I have taken two bull elk, two black bear, one mule deer buck and a mountain lion with my 41 mags. I would say that is a good proven starting point.

hardcastonly

quote "It is the minimum for elk."


I guess experience differs , ive killed two elk with a 44 revolver and both had the bullets shoot completely through the chest and exit, the 44 mag silhouette I used with adjustable front site and 10 5/8" barrel was identical to this picture I found posted else ware.

20 grains of H110 and this lyman 300 grain , or LEE 310 grain, cast bullet ,seated just shy of cylinder length and crimp firmly
if your 44 mag bullets shoot completely through elk I don,t see added power being a huge advantage

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/51...nose-gas-check
MOLD DC C 430-310-RF
within reasonable limits where you hit the elk anatomy is more important than adding a bit more energy in my opinion,
and a bullet that shoots clear through the heart/lungs and exits seems to have enough power in my experience.

sized .430 , cast from 95% ww alloy and 5% tin

obviously a 460 S&W or 500 S&W has a significant power advantage thats un-disputable,
but a properly placed shot from a 44 mag is lethal.
would I rather use a larger 460 S&W or 500 S&W? , personally no!
(yes I.d love too own both LARGER CALIBER revolvers, but I would not hunt , with one until I could duplicate the 44 mag accuracy)
but to hunt elk in the canyon country , Id rather carry a long barrel 44 mag and limit shots to under 100 yards
but if anyone feels the need too use one, have at it!

Nomercy448

The 44mag will kill anything on the planet. The 454C, 480R, 475L, 460, and 500S&W, or the 500 JRH, 500 Alaskan, 50 Special, etc only offer to do it at longer ranges.

There's no animal which can be hunted which a 300grn Punch bullet leaving at 1350fps won't take cleanly.

hardcastonly

this is listed as a ruger 44 mag using 300 grain jacketed bullets,
notice how even Asian buffalo (larger mass than most elk)
tend to react to a good hit from a well placed hand gun shot, watch very closely and,
you'll occasionally see where bullets exited and kicked up dust behind the targeted game

http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/de...l&type=Handgun
btw I,ve found the hard cast 300 grain bullet weight is a good compromise in the 44 mag loaded over 20 grains of h110,
Ive tried lighter and heavier projectiles, much heavier and it limits powder capacity, much lighter and the mass is not there even if the velocity is higher to maximize penetration.
MOLD DC C 430-310-RF

Central PA Sportsman

Flags, didn't think I'd ever say it but I guess dead isn't always dead.....ha, ha. I do agree with you as a relative new member I don't go digging through all the old threads but if something old reappears, I will look at it and in this case will even comment.
As for the actual comment I agree that the 44mag given cost, recoil and effectiveness is probably good enough if ranges are good (always remember shot placement and practice are essential).
On another note I have a friend who has a 460 and I asked him why he didn't get a 500. His reply was, as I recall, velocity and cost per shot (close to double in price). I did come across an interesting actual hunting test of the 460 on African plains game a few years back (don't remember the periodical) but I believe it was 5 guys 25+/- kills and it was impressive. Gave it to my buddy, he loved it. My friend has become proficient at 200 yards off a rest (3 for 3 on a 6" gong, 95% of the time) he always insists "shoot often and as much as possible...practice, practice, practice").
I personally use a TC encore, numerous calibers (mostly rifle), single shot is good but I don't practice enough.

buffybr

I wouldn't hesitate to use one of my Ruger SBH .44 mags on an elk.

AndyWalker

Smith & Wesson XVR 460 Magnum

hardcastonly

there,s always a compromise, being made when selecting any hunting hand-gun, between, ease of handling, power ,recoil and accuracy, you can maintain , that determines what you can hunt and how far your comfortable in making accurate shot placement.
what many guys don,t seem to grasp well is the concept that theres a difference between a pistol that can be depended on to provide a lethal wound in skilled hands, from close range on a broadside shot to the heart/lungs,at 40 -50 yards, where 10"-12" of penetration is all thats required, and one thats got the power , accuracy and penetration that can reasonably be expected to quickly and efficiently cause an animal to drop with a well placed hit, at any reasonable range from 20-150 yards and from a raking angle that might require 2 feet of hide and muscle to be penetrated before the vital organs are destroyed.
I doubt anyone would reasonably argue that you could not kill an elk with a pistol chambered in, 357 mag, m1 carbine (ruger made both), the fact is beyond question that a perfectly placed shot from a reasonable fairly close,range with the correct ammo from those common defensive calibers, one would provide a mortal wound and devastating internal damage,on game like a large hog or an elk.
a knowledge of the games anatomy, shot placement and bullet construction are more important than power, but having the ability to punch through a reasonable amount of muscle and bone to reach the vitals increases the pistols chances of being used successfully.
that is NOT the same thing by any stretch as saying either of those cartridge;s could be expected to be used, nearly as effectively as something in the 44-mag-500 mag range that would easily out penetrate the smaller cartridge.
theres a reason that they generally don,t use a 270 win on cape buffalo and elephant but do use cartridges like a 375 H&H and 458 Win, and its mostly related to the reasonably expected penetration, and inertial mass the projectiles have.
the same basic concept in hand guns applies , experiences has shown that your much more likely to succeed at mortally wounding a large game animal with both proper shot placement (critical even with a 458 mag rifle) and a projectile that can reasonably be expected to punch through about 24"-to-36" of ballistic gel.
you can,t ignore physics and at some point a lack of mass and inertia limits penetration limiting what you can reasonably expect to accomplish from a pistol at an un-expected range and angles on large game.
from my experience most game I've hit with a 300 grain 44 mag turned and ran as you might expect with archery equipment,
but they did not travel far,(a few yards) BEFORE COLLAPSING, theres no question a revolvers lethal but its not a 300 mag or 340 mag.
theres zero question that a heavier caliber like a 480 ruger,460 or 500 S&W hits harder, but at some point
(and in my opinion that points when your bullets consistently exit the game after passing through the game at all reasonable ranges and angles) added power while useful is not necessarily a huge improvement.