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I`am sure there are a number of the members who have taken big game with their handguns and I`am curious as to what you guys use... The caliber, gun used and ammo.... Used a FA`s 454 shooting their 260gr JFP ammo for this northern Utah Shiras moose... What about you guys?? Show your photos...

I took an antelope and a smallish black bear with a 629 S&W 44 Mag....using “homegrown” 265 grain cast bullets. I quit hand gun hunting about 30 years ago, but, am trying to get involved again.

Will be using a S&W 460 XVR, with 400 grain cast SWC, and red dot sight! memtb

I killed a black bear and a few hogs with my Bisley Hunter in 44 mag using 245gr Keith bullets.
I’ve killed the errant pig here and there with a range of handguns from 22lr to 45ACP. We get extra doe tags this winter and I plan to try to fill a couple with my 1926 Hand Ejector 44 special and my 38/44 Outdoorsman.
Used the mighty 9mm on this one.

I have killed some hogs, and antelope with a handgun.. 45 Colt on the hogs, and 44 mag. On the antelope!!

Deer and vermin... have used 44 Mags and 45 Colts and been satisfied with them.

Killed a bunch of deer with a scoped .44 8" Colt Anaconda. 240gr truncated soft point made by PMC. Super accurate.

Deer and hogs:

45 acp, Kimber commander size 1911, 230 grain

45 acp, XDs , 230 grain

Deer with Smith 629's and 657 .44 and .41 mags.... usually Hornady XTP's in 240 grain (.44's) and 210 grain (.41's.) No big trick to it, really.

Your Hi Power is a winner....

Back in the day, before cataracts, I used 629’s, M57’s and 657’s and Redhawks on groundhogs, and whitetail deer. Now that I’m getting cataracts worked on, I may on occasion give handgun hunting a try again. If everything turns out okay that is........

44 Mag Anaconda
45 Colt Anaconda
45 Colt Ruger Bisley
45 Colt Anaconda
357 Ruger Blackhawk

I've also used the 41 Mag/M57, a Colt OMM 38 Special, and the 5.5 Stainless 45 Bisley; I shot several deer with that one, but I never took any pics!

All the ammo is hand rolled.
I have used the 45 XTP, 45 Sierra SP, 45 Nosler Partition HG for deer and several other jacketed variants.

I like to use something different every year, but it's usually with home rolled ammo and is usually 40 caliber or larger. The regs changed again and maybe this year I can hunt the 5" 38-44 or the M24 44.

Several whitetails with a 44 Mag; both a TC Contender Super 14 and a Ruger Super Blackhawk. Load was a 245 cast bullet and W296. 1 with a S&W 657 Mountain Gun in 41 Mag. The load was a Hornady 210XTP and 296. Until recently Iowa only allowed slug guns and handguns so I did much of my deer hunting with a handgun.

Whitetail and javelina with a scoped .44 RM Redhawk, whitetail and javelina with a scoped .44 RM Desert Eagle, squirrel with a scoped .22 Browning.

Gradually evolved the larger revolvers starting with a 10½" Blackhawk, to unscoped Redhawk (both 5½" and 7½"), to scoped 7½" Redhawk.

Gradually evolved the larger pistols starting with a 10mm Springfield Armory Omega, to scoped Desert Eagle.

Gradually evolved the squirrel guns from a Single Six, to 9½" Super Single Six, to a Mark I, to the scoped Browning.

-Chris

Have killed deer and a few pigs with 45 ACP and 10mm, put finishers in a couple bucks with my Colt SAA 45 when they looked at me as I walked up, no need to suffer, the revolver I've had for decades I thought was a bonafide hunting revolver is a FA 454, have a hellbender load with 335gr cast performance bullets at 1585 fps, just recently, from reading these pages, developed at 1500 fps load that's very shootable with the 325gr Swift A Frame, it may be a better penetrating load than my old hellbenders!

Have taken pigs, bison and Caribou, multiple types of small game with 45 colt +P loads.

Deer, pigs and caribou with 44 mag

Bison, Asian buffalo, pigs with 475, 500 Linebaugh and JRH

Deer with45 ACP

Pigs with 9mmr 38 Special and 357 mag

I wouldn't consider myself a handgun hunter. Lots of rabbits and squirrels with .22 LR Ruger Single Six, various Ruger MK semi autos, S&W K22 & M63. I have used .38 wadcutters and .45 SWC on small game before. A head shot is a head shot . Over the years a bunch of "varmints" like coons, groundhogs, skunks, opossum, armadillo, feral cats and dogs and coyotes. Mostly with different Ruger and S&W .357 Magnums. A few of those with .45 ACP, .41 and .44 Magnums. Living on a farm there are always varmints and small game around as you go about your business. For whatever reason it seemed my S&W M63 or a 4" Ruger Security Six .357 were my go to farm handguns. One Wyoming antelope and over the years a few Ozark deer with S&W and Ruger .357, .41 and .44 Magnums. The sum total of one boar hog with the 10mm Glock. Some of those critters as I specifically hunted for them, some just incidental along the way.

Only 2 deer with a handgun. One was a Ruger SRH, 44, 240 JHP, brand escapes me now. Other was a 260 Encore, 120 NBT.

Lots of prairie dogs and jackrabbits with a 22 LR and 45 Colt.

My last venture in Handgun hunting involved my nephew with a Ruger SBH . I introduced him to the sport on a wild pig hunt.
Telling him that borrowing my S&W 29 8 incher, was Ok to use , practicing & using it on the hunt. Not good enough for him , as he and his dad had to buy their own and scoping it with a Leupy 2X.
My own handloads , using 240 gr. Hornady XTP did the trick for him, only one shot needed. He was very well practiced and prepared for that...his very first hunting experience ( and with a brandy new Ruger .44 Mag.) !
Glad I could teach him .

My choice of pistol was a TC/ Contender 45-70 Govt. 12" Hunter's Bbl. Muzzle Tamer and Burris LER scope. My philosophy of only one shot is my 1st concern, usually. That time a second shot from my S&W .41 Mag. Had to be .the finisher . 70 yd. shot from the Contender , stopped my Hog, nonetheless.

I have taken deer, red deer, hogs, and bison, with a Freedom Arms .454 Casull and with a Ruger Super Redhawk .480 Ruger.
Most of the deer were taken with the original FA JFP bullets, 260 gr. and 300 gr., and Hornady 240 gr. XTP Mags, out of the .454 Casull.

Bullet of choice is the Cast Performance 410gr. and 425 gr. out of the SRH. Very accurate, and with manageable recoil.