Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns gonna handgun hunt rest of season damn long guns

all right giving up on long gun for rest of seasons.Went out tonite and seen a button buck which i would norm leave but need meat.Well he was about 50 yards another easy shot so i pulled up and fired and knew i missed but waited a few minutes then went to check i hit dirt at his feet.So this is second clean miss with long gun this year so the rest of season will be handgun unless i go to rifle territory then i'll have handgun with me anyway

Nothing wrong with that. I love to use my handguns.

Hi
You did not mention of the Long Gun wasa shotgun or rifle. Unless you were Hunting in the Two counties slated for rifle in the southern tier region it had better have been a shotgun. Did you sight it in before hunting, so just Plain miss the Deer ? Just curious..Here is one that was Taken in The Southern Tier last hunting season. It was one of The First reported Rifle Kills in the Two counties selected for Rifle last year. The shot was made with a Vintage Remington model 788 In .243 Winhester caliber[b/] which was one of my own [b]Hand loads consisting of 40.0 Grains of Hodgen H-380 behind a 75 Grain V-Max Bullet. This Gun don's miss if I do my part. The shot was easy for it at 165 Yards and took out Both Lungs and the Lower quandrant of his Heart.He was dead the Minute I Pulled the Trigger, but still had to jet 25 yards to his Death Bed... Thegeneral.

Tbear99, I know you didnt mention whether you were using a rifle or shotgun and I'll leave it at that but I am just the opposite.
I have shot lots of deer with handguns, mostly .44 mags and several .357 max's, also more than my fair shair of shotguns too.
My home state of Indiana is a shotgun only state and recently made laws about using rifles with handgun cartridges.
I am having a rifle built so I can start using a rifle since I have not shot many deer with a rifle and want to go that route.
But, handgun hunting is fun....good luck.

What about a muzzle loader? In Iowa we can use a ML in the same areas as a shotgun. Since he mentioned both "longgun" and rifle areas, I thought he was talking about a ML, but my wife says I often assume too much.

well we just started muzzle loader season but also hunting pa and the farmer only allows shotguns.As far as sigting the in i did sight both in. The fault was in me not the gun i'm sure.But when i've shot with the handguns this year i hit exactly where i aim.I a'm gonna do an extensive shooting from the tree stands to try to deterime what went worng

I am a much better snap shot with a levergun than I am with a bolt action rifle. When we push deer out of the swamps on foot I use a Marlin 1894 in .41 MAG. I use the bolt actions in tower stands or from prone or sitting positions with a good sling. I haven't tried the handgun yet, guess I ought to get around to that one of these days. Let us know how you do with a handgun on your next hunt.

I'm sorry, but maybe I am a bit confused. You are having trouble making hits at 50 yards with a rifle, so you are going to hunt with a handgun which is harder to hit with, less powerful, more critical with regard to shot placement, and even more range limited?

Do the animals a favor. Practice with whatever gun you chose and don't take shots beyond a self imposed range limit that you feel like you are confident at. If there is a back-story I missed, I apologize.

no problem the back story is i shot at a nice 8 point and missed with my red dot shotgun and then the second shot i used a 475 linebaugh ruger bisley and dropped it at 45 yards


here is link to first thread first handgun kill

More powerful?? My .475 Linebaugh kills better than my .416 Rem from my observations. It certainly penetrates a heck-of-a-lot better.......but what do I know, I'm one of those KoolAid drinking handgun hunters.

I see you're not a handgun hunter..

O.K., that makes sense.

Actually, I hunt almost exclusively with handguns. I'm not sure what part of the highlighted statement you disagree with, and I didn't post to start a fight (sorry if it came off that way).

A traditional open sighted handgun is harder to hit with than a rifle. That's part of the challenge and appeal of handgun hunting. Surely you don't disagree with that.

Handguns are generally less powerful and thus demand excellent shot placement. All hunting demands it, but a traditional handgun round demands it as much or more than a high powered rifle.

If you were to rank the following regarding power, range, and leeway with respect to shot placement. 38 special, 44 magnum, .30-06, .375 H&H. I don't think anyone would disagree that they are ranked in the correct order as listed.

I love to hunt with handguns. My rifles have been largely silent in the hunting fields for a long time. I use traditional sixgun and auto cartridges out of iron sighted handguns. I fully understand that the power of a .454, and the new .460 and .500 magnums meet and exceed many rifle rounds, and that increased bullet diameter and weight lead to good performance on game.

I was simply pointing out the fact that if you can't hit them with a rifle, you probably can't with a handgun either. Most handgunners are superb riflemen because the handgun is that much more demanding regarding sight alignment, breath and trigger control, and once you master it a rifle is a piece of cake. Obviously this gentleman is somehow different.

I applaud and encourage all hunters, but I would also like to advise hunters to hunt within their limits. There are loads of wonderful reasons to take up handgun hunting, but missing shots (by a matter of several feet) with a rifle isn�t one of them. If you can�t hit them with a rifle, what makes you think you can with a handgun?

i was using shotguns not the rifles and as far as some we use the 475 or 500 linebaugh's.And norm i don't miss with the long gun but this year it was my weak point.The handguns dropped 2 for me this year the shotguns or rifles no deer

K1500 -- it's all good! It does require more dedication, practice and skill to be proficient with a handgun than it does with a rifle. I couldn't agree with you more on that point.

Yes, after I read your original story regarding a shotgun, it made a bit more sense. Sorry if I came off a bit abrasive, that's not normally my nature.

no worries we are all friends here.Interersting side note went to eye doctors and found i have a little far sighted problem not requiring glasses but she suggested them