Need Help Selecting a Hunting Pistol
 

I' m looking for a non-automatic pistol for handgun hunting deer - something along a .45 caliber and has to have a scope mount.

Also, something with a silent hammer or no hammer at all - I scared away a 12pt this weekend when he heard me pull the hammer back.

I would like to get in under $500. Any suggestions? T/C Contender? Anything else?


Thanks in advance!

RE: Need Help Selecting a Hunting Pistol
 

I just bought an Encore and love it. The hammer makes a little " click" but no more than ony other pistol that I have. I also love the versality of it. You can get 80 different calibers and turn it into a rifle.

RE: Need Help Selecting a Hunting Pistol
 

If you want to stay with a pistol I would give the Contender G2 a look. If, in the future, you may want a rifle give the Encore a good look. I have the Encore and truly love it.

RE: Need Help Selecting a Hunting Pistol
 

I compared the G2 and Encore before I bought one. The Ecnore has many more possibilities for mid to big game. You can get barrels like 300 for the encore but not for the G2. The only advantage of the G2 is that you can switch it to rim fire.

RE: Need Help Selecting a Hunting Pistol
 

Encores can now fire rimfire ammo without having to install the adapter for it. Check it out.

http://www.mbmco.net/Merchant2/merch...ategory_Code=P

Either way you can' t go wrong with a Thompson Center.

RE: Need Help Selecting a Hunting Pistol
 

I agree with the others. The contender is the way to go. Now, for a cartridge. .45 caliber huh? How about .45-70?? But you better be a man to shoot it. LOL

RE: Need Help Selecting a Hunting Pistol
 

45-70? At the risk of sounding like a gun virgin, what does the 70 mean? I' m a bowhunter mostly - slug gun hunter once a year. I carried a friends Ruger .45 in the field on day 2 of shotgun season here (new Illinois law) and fell in love with it. Thats why I' m looking for a pistol/revolver.

I don' t have much use for a rifle here. In Illinois we can only hunt varmits and coyotes with rifle - I' m not in to either.

I looked at a Ruger Super RedHawk 454 today and except for the price, was pretty impressed. It comes with scope rings also. I' m going to a gun auction Sunday morning and would like to have some ideas.

RE: Need Help Selecting a Hunting Pistol
 

It' s an old designation that is still used today. When metallic cartridges came out, it was common to see this type of designation on cartridges. The .45-70 means 45 caliber/70 grains of black powder. The Contender can also shoot just about any rifle cartridge.

The Ruger Redhawk is a fine revolver. So is the Taurus Raging Bull. The .454 is probably the .454 Casull. A true flame throwing, monster killing cartridge, with recoil to match. The above guns in that caliber are usually ported to tame some of that.

RE: Need Help Selecting a Hunting Pistol
 

i had a ruger super blackhawk 44 mag 2.5 simmons scope. it loved 300 gr cast bullets. i shot one deer with it, 2 shot through the chest and when i mean through i mean 2 half inch holes one side one 4 inch on the other. the gun was fun to shoot but it was a hand full

RE: Need Help Selecting a Hunting Pistol
 

Hands down for the money your talking about it's got to be a TC Contender or Encore. Wonderful hunting handguns!