Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Deer Hunting with a Handgun

Hi all,
Please let me know what you handgun hunt deer with. Pictures would be great. I'm thinking about buying a handgun for deer hunting and would like opinions and set up choices.

Thanks...............

I've killed deer/antelope with handguns in 6mm ackley improved, 250 savage, 257 jdj, 30-30 winchester, 309 jdj and 41mag, 44 mag. Remington XP100, Competitor and TC Contender single shots, 41 and 44 mag revolvers.

Have used:

Ruger SRH 44 mag.
Ruger SRH 454 Casull
T/C contender 375 JDJ

toa -

I've deer hunted with:

Ruger Security Six - 6"....no kill
S-W 629 - 6"
Ruger SBHK - 7 1/2"
Ruger Redhwk SS 7 1/2", SS Leupold 1.5-4 X.
Ruger SuperRedhawk - 9 1/2" SS Redfield 2-7 X. ? ?

The ?? Means I don't remember exactly what power scope.

The 9 1/2" bll was TOOO long for my liking.

I killed deer w/the Redhawk SS, 200 HP over H 110 -- lethal.

I actually liked the fit/feel of the 629 better but I didn't like the thin top strap. At the time I was shooting BOOK max loads.


Jerry

I've hunted and shot deer with a T/C Contender in .41 mag with a 10" barrel and a Taurus 669 in .357, with a 6" barrel. I learned that bullet choice matters. Both were taken within 15 yards, and both required 2 shots. In the .357 I used the Sierra 170 gr. JHC, which didn't expand, and in the .41, the Speer 220 gr half jacket penetrated the length of the animal from a front on shot, and the second shot was the Sierra 210 gr. JHC broadside, which left huge entry and exit holes. The T/C had a 2x leupold, the Taurus had irons. I still carry a handgun while deer hunting, just not as a primary weapon.

I have killed several whitetails here in ny with a T/C contender .44 Mag. with a 14" barrel.The Hornady 240 gr. XTP and Sierra 210 JHP were used .I never recovered a bullet ,and all the deer dropped within sight.I started out with a Leupold 2X,but settled with a Burris straight 3X,which works better for me.I would stick with the 240XTP,which has worked great in both the T/C and a couple of .44 carbines for me.

During Oregon's first handgun legal Deer season (about 1978) I killed a small 4 point Muley with a .357 (6" barreled S&W) and it dropped right there. However, if I was doing it today, I'd take my 44 Mag or heavily loaded 44 Special.

An alternative that would work if a) you're not in love with revolvers; b) you already own other Glocks; c) magazines that hold half a box of ammo appeal to you; d) you would consider hunting with a Burris Fastfire instead of a scope, or just stick with irons, is the Glock 10MM. Available with a 6 inch slide also.

It's ugly, I know.

7.5" Ruger Super Blackhawk with a fixed 2x Leuopold handgun scope mounted on it.

All of my handgun deer kills have been with iron sighted wheelguns.

All but one with .44 magnum.

Have used 180-255gr bullets.
Ruger old model and new model 7.5" SuperBlackhawks.
a 9.5" SuperRedhawk, Smith 629's in 4, 6 and 8 3/8".

Proly best all arounder for me is a 6" 629.

Last deer I shot (pic)........just over 50 yards, facing away.
Spined with bullet stopping in the nose. Wimp load (Hornady Leverevolution 140gr) but where I shot that deer, a .22 mag woulda worked.

Not a fan of boom and blast anymore, proly best hunting gun for me, if shooting 50 yards and in iron sighted (tougher as the eyes go to crap)...........pre lawyer lock 686 (reg 6 shot model).

Got caught in downpour, had to totally take the Python apart and redo.
Stainless preferred.



Used to shoot .44 mags weekly, and got halfway decent with the round.
Farthest deer was 150 yards, closest 17 ft. Most shots from 25-50, few past that.

Older, wiser, more blind and half deaf...........best advice for a handgun hunter IMHO is...........electronic hearing protection.

In the field you can get bounce back and pay a hefty price.

Contenders are cool.
Had a Super 14 (no brake) w 2.5-7X on it.
Kept it on 2.5X.
Nothing big enough to shoot came buy that yr.
Fun gun though.
Pachmayr Grippers suck on anything but Contenders, and on those they are wonderful.
I might yet get a 3rd Contender, my two are set up as rifles currently and I hate switching crap around.
If so maybe a .357 12 or 14" and slap a reddot 30mm on it.

I had a .22 mag Contender, fun rig, and at 7X OK at 100 and past on the range....fair bit of fun actually.

Hunting? I can't tolerate much over 2X.

Try and try and can't get used to it. Shoot OK, just bothers me.

The smaller reddots like TRS25...........also annoy me.
Fastfire or similar might be doable. Dislike seeing so much sight body around the image. 30mm sights tolerable.....maybe

When I think of handguns I guess I think of pistols or revolvers and not hand rifles like Contenders. I have killed deer with several handguns and prefer the 41 magnum...

Bullet slid under brain pan and up into nasal cavity.
Euro mount, some bone fell away where it bonked in fwd travel (stopped toward the nose).



Not the ideal shot, but with him just standing there and my history of that gun, I knew it would work. Thing is like shooting a .22rf and is quite accurate.

BOOM, and his nose flipped up and he crumpled.
Will admit it hit just a hair higher than I expected. Still on exact vert line and with him facing away......he was dead before I even touched it off. I just knew it.

Been shooting that gun since I was a kid

Like riding a bike.

Wheelgunners must use recurves to bowhunt

As for the SRH........my pref is for the 9.5".
Carry is in left hand with bbl passing over crook of left elbow.

What kind of handgun hunting are you looking to do? Wheelgun? Semi-auto? Single shot specialty? I've been killing deer with "handguns" since 2002 when we moved to Iowa, then to Minnesota, all in shotgunor handgun only zones. I've used .454 Casull, .357 Max, 7BR, .260 Rem all with great success from 20 yds to 270 yds (.260 Rem). Latest kill was after moving back to Iowa and getting another .357 Max barrel and dumping a nice doe at 150 yd by threading a softball sized hole for a neck shot. No tracking involved.

Shot a doe with a Smith & Wesson M&P 38 Special when I was young and stupid.

H U H !! I can't HEAR you...type harder.

I know what ya mean. My FIRST ever handgun was a Ruger SuperBlackhawk 7 1/2, 44 RM AND I've had more 44s than another other calibers.

For 'newer' handgunners PLEASE take his advice. I'm about 80% deaf in left ear. He knows what he's talking about.


I really love the Python... I wish I had bought one when I THOUGHT they were high $$$.


Jerry

My fav is a 10" Contender in .45 Winchester Magnum with a 3x Burris, scary accurate.