Just received my pistol permit and looking to add a challenge to my hunting experience. Started hunting in 2004, still consider myself a newbie at age 41. Since then I harvested a deer with a shotgun, rifle and bow. Now looking to expand to pistol as well. Wanted to ask some of you what caliber you recommend I go with and why? Thanks, Rod.

I recommend a 44 magnum, 8" barrel. That way you can get 1500fps with a 240gr bullet. Which is very nice for deer. I have used 44 magnum, and now use a 460 Smith. the 460 is a handfull. Mine is extreamely accurate all the way to 200 yards, but wieghs almost as much as a rifle. Freehanded, with a 10.5" barrel can be difficult. You need at least bipods to get the job done.

I find the Ruger 44's nice for hunting. But I also am a smith guy and like the 629's.

I in to the T/C "hand-cannons",.375 JDJ and the 7mm-08...

I woud first ask what yo plan on hunting, ranges you'll be shooting and what your comfortable with. Have you ever shot big bore handguns before?
In any case should you be hunting deer which from you post, looks like the case. I would go with nothing less than the 41 mag. in a revolver. Revolver chamber choices can run from the 41 up to the massive 500 S&W. If your are going to use this handgun strickly for hunting you may want to consider a T/C encore or contender G2. There you have a wide selection of chamberings. YOu can get a .22 LR barrel for practicing and get a "deer" chambering in 7-30 (My favorite in my contender) Waters on up to 45-70. You can even get 308 or 30-06 in the encore. And if you decide handgun hunting isn't for you, all you need to do is get a carbine barrel and stock and you have another rifle.
My final opinion is if you decide on a revolver would be a S&W or Ruger Redhawk in 44 mag. or a 7-30 Waters or 35 Rem. in the T/C Contender or 7mm-08 or 308 in the Encore.
And practice, practice, practice.

I see you are from New York. So am I. Due to our handgun laws, you probably do not have much experience with handguns. I was in your shoes a year ago, just recieving ny permit one year ago. I have hunted for 25 years, but had very little pistol experience.
The first thing you have to do is shoot, Get yourself any .22 handgun that you like, and several bricks of ammo. Shoot, shoot, and shoot!. As you get comfortable with the gun, consider a .357 magnum, especially if you don't reload. The abilty to shoot anything from .38 wadcutters to full house .357 loads will be useful for you. If you do reload, then you can consider a .44 magnum and load it to .44 special levels for extended practice sessions. The .44 will be a better caliber for deer hunting, but a .357 that you shoot well is better than a pistol that you have not mastered because it is too expensive to shoot or the recoil bothers you.
I was in no way ready to use my handgun on deer last year. After 1500 rounds of .22 and 2,000 rounds through my S&W 686, I can hit a paper plate 6 out of 6 times at 50 yards, with full power .357 handloadsDespitesome folk's claims on the Internet, I have had experienced handgunners tell me that'sgood shooting thatthe average handgun ownercan't do.I can't wait for this season!
Will

Thanks guy's. I've read that a .357 would be enough to take down a NY deer under 75 yards and from readind, it only has a felt recoil of approx. 8lbs. However, I'd hate to buy the .357 then realize it doesn't have enough knock down power for deer. I really like the looks of the S&W 460XVR and enjoyed the article in the Petersens Hunting Magazine for July featuring this pistol. But the felt recoil is about 23lbs versus the 8lbs of the .357. Seems the .460 is good up to 300 yards, further than I would even try with my rifle!!! lol.

I know I would never use a 357 mag for deer. Go with the 44mag, you won't regret it. And if you are experienced pistol shooter, go with the 460. You can always shoot 454 or 45LC.

I am very partial to large bore single action Rugers. Safe, strong, and not extremely expensive... 44 Magnum if you don't reload. I would do 45 Colt (aka Long Colt) if you reload. You can shoot quite a few rounds without wearing out. 44 Maggie comes off the shelf with a wide range of available bullet weights. For a reeeeeeally long time the 357 Magnum was the only plussed up revolver load and some did hunt all the North American game with it. But the big bores do it so much better. Also, get at least a 6" barrel. Take advantage of the extra velocity.

I've been wanting a .460. As much hunting as I do at night, a revolver just seems like it would be handy for shooting hogs in the brush.

I like the 44mag for it's accuracy, manageable recoil, and easy-to-find ammo, but I have yet to take a deer with it. Only went out twice, and ended up with a longer shot, so I had to use the scoped shotguninstead.

The 41mag is nice too, but I'm not sure how easily you can find ammo now days. While the 357 is a greatly versatile and useful general purpose cartridge, and is capable of taking down a deer, I lean towards a bigger bore.

For a deicated hunting handgun I would consider a single action revolver with an 8 inch barrel, but I gota 6 inchdouble action S&W 629 so it could serve double duty as bear defense in Wisconsin and Michigan. Note, I said bear defense. If I were to hunt bear with a handgun, I would choose something more powerful.