good first handgun...
 

im looking to buy a handgun that I could use for deer hunting, it needs to be at least .30 cal. and have a 4 inch barrel im thinking about a .38spc and I dont have a lot of money... :fighting0007:

Have you considered a .357 Magnum? When hunting, it has more more knockdown power and you can still shoot .38 Special cartridges in it for practice, smaller game, etc. You might also be able to find a used police revolver in .357M at a really good price.

If you Google search hunting deer with a handgun, you can find lots of articles and reference information that will give you more information. Here's a link to a Chuck Hawks article that addresses this very issue.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/handgun_hunting.htm

A deer hunting handgun is not a good first handgun.

A .22lr is a good first handgun. Anyone can pick up a deer rifle and learn how to shoot it well, handguns are not the same. A .22lr handgun is far and away the best investment a handgunner can get. Here's the skinny: by the time you put enough rounds through a hunting handgun to be skilled enough to hunt with it, you'll have burnt enough ammo that you could have paid for a .22lr handgun and gotten MORE practice for less money. In the long run, it really does save you money to start with a .22lr and learn how to shoot handguns, then only need a bit of practice with your hunting handgun. I learned that lesson the hard way, and have instructed bad habits out of dozens of shooters over the last decade that started out with a gun too powerful for them to learn with. You REALLY will save money by buying a 22lr handgun first.

The .38spcl is not a legal deer cartridge in many states, and honestly, I'm glad it's not. It's woefully under powered. It CAN kill deer, but it's not powerful enough to do so reliably, and there's no reason to spend money on the wrong weapon for the job. (Remember the conversations we had about the .22mag and the .410 for coyotes? Buy a hammer to drive a nail. Not a wrench).

A .357mag revolver will give you the option to fire .38spcl rounds for practice, but have enough power with .357mag loads to kill deer. Ruger Revolvers are my favorite.

With money a concern, look at the Ruger Blackhawk .357mag or GP-100. These can be had for around $550 new, occasionally under $400 used in decent condition. Get a 6" or longer model, shorter barrels are difficult to hunt with (short sight radius = hard to aim for new shooters) and give up a lot of energy.

Personally, I HAVE hunted deer with a .357mag quite a bit in the past, but my go-to round for deer is the .44mag. 100% NOT GOOD FOR A FIRST HANDGUN, but if you get a .22lr to practice with a lot and get your fundamentals down, you can jump up to .44spcl loads, then .44mag for hunting. Ruger Super Blackhawk is a great hunting revolver.

This is my go-to deer hunting handgun. Ruger Super Blackhawk .44mag 7.5", with a Simmons Prohunter 2-6x32mm scope. Bought it for $350 new 'round-abouts 1999, got this scope for it 2 seasons ago (aint as good as the Leupold I had on it before, but aint as expensive). Filled a freezer many seasons with it.

ok thanks! I think I will get a 22lr first.

I missed the title part about this being a first handgun and thank NoMercy for making the catch. NM's advice is especially spot on, especially the part about a longer barrel. If you're just learning to shoot a pistol, it's much easier (and cheaper) to shoot a .22 LR.

Thought I might mention, in congress with my other post...

I bought that Ruger SBH .44mag as my first revolver when I was still in high school, and learned how to flinch REALLY fast. Hated shooting it, but was too stubborn to sell it. Hated practicing with it, couldn't hit much with it because I couldn't take the time to learn how to shoot it.

Then about a year later I came across a Ruger Mark II .22lr 6 5/8" stainless pistol for a steal from a buddy that couldn't keep it ($90). My pistol shooting career officially started. For $15 for 500 rounds, I could practice all day long every Saturday. By that deer season, after 3months of practicing with the .22lr, I had made more progress shooting the .44mag than I had in the entire year before that with the .44mag alone. Without exaggeration, I'm almost tempted to have that .22lr pistol buried with me when I go.

HIGHLY recommend the Ruger Mark III pistols (Mark III replaced the Mark II). I have a lot of .22lr pistols, none that I like as much as the Rugers, and none that shoot as well on average. Let alone reliability - the Ruger's set the bar for reliability (most other brands get pretty picky about being wet lubed or having dirty chambers). I have 2 Mark I's (just got a "new" one last week!!), 4 Mark II's, and 3 Mark III's these days, really can't say a bad thing about them. Only other model I'd recommend as runner up (long ways between 1st and second for me) is the Browning Buckmark.

Still looking for one of the Ruger Mark I faux ivory grip blued ~4" barrel, with the ORIGINAL phoenix grips instead of the aftermarket ones... In case you run across one that isn't $400 or more while you're looking for your own .22lr pistol, let me know...

ok thanks and I will!

Bravo! That is wonderful advice!!!

Nomercy has EXCELLENT advise BUT I'd recommend your .22 1st handgun to be what your deer hunting revolver is, a revolver. If you're going to get a single action like the Ruger Blackhawk then get a single 6 or single 10. If you're set on a double action then make both that. That way you'll already be intimately familiar with the manual of arms and all you'll be doing is changing cartridges/calibers. Manual of arms means how the firearm is used/loaded/unloaded/cleaned/etc. Also I personally feel a .38 Special is too weak to deer hunt with, stick with at least a .357 or .41 mag when you move up.

Stalkingbear hit it spang on. Even befofe I read his post, I felt the same way.. Keep 'em both the same type of action. As far as caliber/cartridge, I just love the .41 Mag. I also have a SBH with 10 1/2" bbl in .44Mag, and enjoy the .41 far better (Blackhawk as well). That .41 will knock the stuffin's out of a deer as well...