just curious, have you ever used your CCW to hunt?
 

I got into a brief but I thought rather interesting discussion, concerning our CCW pistols of choice,
obviously we all make choices based on personal values,
and before you go out to hunt with any pistol you must check your states firearm and wildlife fish & game license depts laws to be sure its legal.
keep in mind you life could depend on how effective the firearm you select to use is at stopping an antagonist.
who might be hopped up on drugs, or determined to kill you.
I was recently at the local range with my brother-in-law, his concealed carry pistol of choice,
is a very small but dependable 380 acp,pistol from Springfield arms.
now keep in mind I use an inside the waist band holster ,
and have zero issues with easy concealment, even with a full size pistol,
but Im 6'3" and about 250 lbs, he is about 5'10" and about 180 lbs
he uses a pocket holster, for his pistol, that is a springfield armory 380 compact pistol which he loves,
he generally uses remington 102 grain ammo,
https://www.luckygunner.com/remingto...jhpremsaber-25
due to its very small size and easy concealment,
I was carrying a EAA stainless witness 45 acp
and for concealed carry use, hornady 230 grain hollow points
https://www.targetsportsusa.com/horn...096-p-729.aspx


this is a very nice 380 which seems to function reasonably well,
but even after at least three years of practice, he has a very difficult time consistently keeping three
rapidly fired shots in a 11"x 8" typing paper, sized printed paper target at even 7 yards,
now obviously these are totally different size and power level handguns, but even at 25 yards the EAA 45 has a little problem keeping 3 fast shots in a similar-sized target
now I can significantly tighten that group if I take a second or two to look over the sights vs point and blaze away as fast as the trigger can be pulled.
so I mentioned to him that I thought he was at somewhat of a disadvantage, he simply stated that he envisioned any confrontation,
he might be confronted with as being at arms reach distances.
I then mentioned the fact that Id killed several deer and at least 6-7 hogs over the years with my EAA 45acp,
and at ranges up to 40-50 yards, and just to get a response, I asked him if he had ever considered hunting with his pistol?
his immediate response was that he had zero intention of and had no doubt what so ever ,
that his 380 would be totally useless at 40-50 yards on anything like a deer, or a hog.
personally I can,t imagine depending on a 3" 380 that I could not hit $HIT WITH, in a life & death fight,
I know from previous hunts that a 45 acp is hardly a sledgehammer on hogs like my 44 mag revolver, with a 310 grain hard cast bullet is,
but it does work reasonably well.

Not as a primary weapon for a hunt. I like having it on my side when field dressing animals in lion and bear country. If I were going to use a pistol as a primary weapon for hunting, I think I'd rather have a 44 with a bit longer barrel. It'd be fun to do some day.

well most of my conceal carry guns would be Illegal to use to hunt with, so, NO, I have never used one to hunt with
as a fact I don't I ever even came close to needing to ever use one , to hunt or defend myself with against a critter!
I did once however while dragging 2 deer out at once, have a very BRAVE coyote that would dash in at times and try and grab a leg on a deer
it was dark at the time and well, my hands were full, holding a rope in each, rifle over shoulder and pistol in holster
Coyote never really bothered me, and was just looking for a meal on a deer, so never felt in fear, or need to kill it,
every time I would turn to look at it, it would run off
went on for about a 1/4 mile then it gave up!

I personally carry a pistol, more for worries about running into humans with bad intentions or tend to get aggressive when I catch them trespassing! and am throwing them off private lands they don;t have permission to be on!
also don;t think my ammo on my carry guns would be very good on game, as its not designed for that!
all the more so on a big animal like a bear
IF I was carrying in Big bear country I would carry different pistol and ammo

Being in PA my CC license states any registered firearm. So I guess I can say yes because during muzzleloader season (especially for bear) I carry my 4" barreled .44 mag. During archery season I normally carry my M&P40 for both bear and possibly 2 legged predators.

What your license to carry in PA allows you to carry is not a license to use any firearm to hunt. It is not legal to use a semi auto handgun to shoot most game animals in PA. You can carry them for self defense but not for hunting most game animals. I usually carry my S&W 40 while hunting but is for self defense only, if I am hunting with a handgun it will be a .357 revolver or a .45 Colt handgun, and I will leave the semi auto at home. Your .44 mag and your M&P 40 are not legal to shoot bear during the muzzleloader season or the archery season to take game. The question was have you ever used your CCW to hunt, the answer needs to be specific with the legal firearms to hunt with under the Game and wildlife code in PA.

I never carried concealed but most places I have lived have allowed open carry. I used to pack a Ruger Blackhawk with a 4 1/2 inch barrel chambered in 41 Mag. It tipped over several mulies and one cow elk.

That sounds pretty cool. Which 41 round were you using?

I shot a couple of coyotes a handful of years ago with a Walther PPK/S just to claim the experience. My wife shot a doe several years ago with her 2.25” SP101. In college, I used my G19 to fill a couple of doe tags.

It’s handgun hunting - there’s no trick to it, a hunter simply needs to understand the limitations of their cartridge and of their own ability to deliver bullets on target at range, in the conditions of the field.

Oldtimr I never said that. What I said was my CC license states I can carry any registered firearm. I did say I carry my M&P40 during archery and my 4" 44 during muzzleloader season. Both of these are carried for self defense. My normal carry firearm is a S&W Shield in 9mm. If I am going to use a handgun for hunting it will either be my S&W 29 with its 8 3/8" bbl or my T/C Encore in .243. Neither of these are suited for concealed carry. And PA is an open carry state.
I need to edit because of my last statement: If I were in a vehicle I could probably get by with my S&W29 being loaded. However it would be hard to convince a WCO that my Encore is being used for self defense.. : )

I was just adding some clarification, think you would be ok with the encore, since the license to carry does not specify that the gun you carry is a repeating firearm. I would worry more about the police than a Game Warden.