Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Which do you prefer for a hunting revolver

I have several Smith and Wesson revolvers i use for hunting everything from a 8 3/8" 617 to a 8 3/8" 460VXR. I have always wanted to shoot a single action but any attempts I have made in the past did not produce the accuracy I get with the S&W or DA revolvers.

I have only tried a Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter in 44 mag though so any input would be appreciated.

Try a Blackhawk Bisley in .44 Special or .45 Colt or Super BlackHawk Bisley in .44, .45 Colt or .480Ruger.

Of course there are Linebaughs and customs that may interest you, too.

Max Prasac is the authority on revolver hunting on my care screen. Whitworth1.

Sarge, jwp475, Cariboujack, mart, pacecars, Idaho1945, Bighorn and plenty others know what they are talking about using revolvers.

I use S&W revolvers as well as autos. But my go to revolver for actual hunting is a Bisley Hunter in 44 that I cut down to 5.5”. I did some trigger work but otherwise it was dimensionally perfect out of the box.

I don’t sweat the fact that it’s not capable of handling the super loads with mega heavy bullets that the SRH and others can take. I’ve never caught a 245gr Keith bullet propelled by 10gr of Unique even on hard quartering shots.

As others have said try a Ruger with a Bisley grip. Have shot many revolvers and in single action hunting calibers I prefer the Bisley grip. If you would be looking to add an optic look at the Hunter model or for a standard version the Weigand mounts work also.

I'm not the best handgun shot, not by a long shot. That said, I've done some of my best shooting with the Bisley grip/hammer that Sheriff Joe mentions.

Last year I hunted exclusively with an Ed Brown 10MM. This year I'm taking this BFR .44Mag w/7.5" barrel & Bisley grip to the dance.

I’ve got Ruger single action (modified) .44 Mag., a 629, 8 3/8” S&W, and a 460 XVR (8 3/“). Speaking “only” for myself.....I much prefer the 460 XVR! memtb

Nice.

If I could only have one it would be my 460 for sure.
I may just add the 10” one to the stable and quit thinking about cowboy style guns.

Pretty piece.


For a 7.5" I'll settle for my .44 SRH...supported, it plays like a rifle.

They make a fine revolver.

Most commonly, I use my 6 (or 6 1/2") S&W Performance Center 657 with a 2X Leupold handgun scope. I also have a 6" 629 PC that I don't use as much, and an 8 3/8" 629 Classic DX without optics that I use sometimes. Less common, S&W .500.

BKS: If by "Hunting" you include Varmint Hunting then I just LOVE my stainless revolving Smith & Wesson Model 647 in caliber 17 HMR with 8 3/8" barrel.
Great accuracy, great single action trigger, a wonderful and useful caliber and classy looking to the max!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

BFR or FA. If it came down to one gun for NA it would be a toss up between a FA 83 6” in 44 mag or 454.

VarmintGuy I lucked into one of those a year ago or so, I’ve only shot it some but hope to squirrel hunting with it this year and if I ever get to go shoot prairie dogs it will definitely go.

Ruger Redhawk in .41 Mag. 2x scope.

THIS is what I prefer as a hunting revolver. Unfortunately, I don't have one!

I have hunted with Contenders, Blackhawks, a Security Six, and several semi-autos. I like the Blackhawk quite a bit, and it's what I prefer out of what I own. One day I plan to pick up a more refined BFR or Freedom Arms revolver for hunting. Until then, the Blackhawks shoot well.

Initially forget about caliber & just go by feel & balance. If you can pick up several handguns & see how they fit your hand & if they "point" for you. Then, if you can, shoot a 41, 44, 45, etc side by side if it's possible & the different grip design will offer instant feed back as far as recoil & how you manage it.
More & more we see experienced shooters going bigger & bigger in caliber, that's a big edge if you can handle the recoil but it's a huge set back if you can't. Once you develop a flinch it's a very hard thing to over come.
Don't choose a caliber because it's someone else's choice, pick it because you are comfortable with it & can hit with it & you will be much more happy than shooting with the "big boys". The 3 above calibers will take almost anything you wish to hunt in North America & usually do it with an exit if correct bullets are used.
Don't get caught up in the trap of over gunning yourself & shooting more gun than you can handle, it's a wicked trap to escape from. Most likely you will end up with a bisley grip frame of some style, either Ruger, Freedom Arms or BFR, they all are excellent, get the one that fits YOU because it fits YOU & it's going to be smooth sailing. Good luck!

Dick

These 4 handguns are what I use for my hunting of bigger game. Three Rugers, one Freedom Arms. Have owned the FA .454 the longest, acquiring it in the mid-'80's, a very accurate hunting weapon, and clearly the best-built of what I own. However, the Ruger Super Redhawk .480 Ruger is easier to shoot, in terms of recoil, also very accurate, and is probably my favorite in terms of a hunting handgun.
For carry in bear country, either the Ruger Vaquero Bisley .45 Colt or the Ruger SBH Bisley in .480 Ruger get the nod.

For deer sized game it doesn't matter to me, but for very large game I like sinhle actions best. Single actions handle the stresses of the large calibers and handles heavy recoil better