jrbsr

My favorite handgun for small game is a .22 LR
What is Yours?
Here is my .22 Ruger Government Targer Model Mark 2 I bought it new around 1982
The screen on my camera is cracked, so it is hard to get a good picture.

Nomercy448

I wish I had a better picture of this ol' girl, but this one is definitely my favorite firearm of all time, and it happens to be my go-to small game firearm (not just go-to handgun). I bought this stainless Ruger Mark II 22lr 'roundabouts 1999 from a buddy for $90. Best money I've ever spent. I've done a lot of small game hunting with it over the last 15yrs, but it's been my primary coon hunting (over hounds) weapon, and as such, has taken literally thousands of ringtail bandits. It's been my primary when running traplines, spent a few years on my belt when I was riding pastures and killed more than a couple errant badgers. I dropped a bunch of coyotes over the years in our feedlots with this one as well. She's been to the bottom of a pond/river twice, luckily I've found her afterwards, and she's ridden in that holster in the picture for many a mile on my hip. My kids are going to have to fly pretty straight to change my mind about having this one buried with me.



This is an older pic of some of our hides & carcasses thawing in the sun to take to the furbuyer - it represents about a month worth of hunts, minus some of the kills that we divided with our cousins that bring their dogs along sometimes too. CCI Mini-Mags with solid bullets (no HP's) are the way to go for a 22lr pistol on "medium sized small game" like badgers and coon. HP's will often smash flat on the skull and not penetrate at the low muzzle velocities of handguns.



Super cool to see this set of sub-forums come to life, gonna be a great ride!

Bocajnala

Recently got a ruger single six. Hoping to add some pictures to this thread soon!!
-Jake

kidoggy

that's a whole mess of coons . good shooting

BCWV

Boy that is a Big pile of coons.
As for me, my favorite hand gun for small game is the New Model 9mm /357 Ruger Blackhawk that I picked up last summer. For several years I used a GP100 357. When my son came of age I gave it to him.
The new ruger with the 9mm is such a pleasure to shoot. As of yet I've not taken any game with it, but I have a late squirrel hunt scheduled with a friend in a couple weeks

muzzlestuffer

freedom arms varmit class with .22 mag for coyote size game and .22lr cylinder for the smaller critters ! it has the burris electro-dot pistol scope on it which is a great scope!

bronko22000

I like the .22lr too and the Ruger semi-auto. But that pistol is not legal to hunt with in PA. We have to use a revolver is we're going to hunt with it. (Idiotic PGC).
I got me a Taurus Tracker 17 HMR to try this year.

Topgun 3006

You'll like it Jake. Mine is a stainless with both .22LR and .22 mag cylinders.

Nomercy448

Took my boy along for his first time coon hunting with the dogs a few months ago, took these 3 with the Ruger Mark II pictured above. NM-Jr really wants to shoot daddy's "piztul" and "keel the wac-oons," but I'm not putting him on handguns yet. Little too hard to keep his muzzle under control, so he's only shooting rifles so far.

Even though I shoot handguns left handed, I've never made myself a left hand holster for this one, so it's hidden under/behind NM-Jr on my right hip in the pic.