Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Hunting with handguns

Hmmm! I notice that this forum is a subsection of the "Hunting" division but don't see much about hunting here -- just commentary on handguns themselves.

I've hunted with several handguns but don't recommend using a handgun when a rifle is a better choice (which is usually). But there's one kind of big game that's best hunted with a handgun, and I emphatically recommend that you try it at least once.

The wild boar* on the high-tide flats off the coast of Georgia, near Savannah, grow big and mean, and you never see 'em at rifle distances in those old pre-Civil War salt-water rice paddies. I've shot two -- over 350 lb and about 300 lb -- the first with a .375 Winchester Big Bore 94, the second with a .44 Magnum Ruger Redhawk. Should've had a .44 Magnum revolver for both. The first wasn't ten yards away, and with that carbine, I almost shot a dog while shooting the boar.

*crosses of Prussian wild boar and swamp razorbacks

Shots are fast and close, and you have to be careful not to hit one of those valiant dogs while they're busy keeping that hawg from ripping you. A scope is out of the question, and a rifle is a temptation to fate.

The outfit that I hunted with over twenty years ago (Hall Brothers) may still be in business without the Halls. If you hanker for some fun hunting and delicious meat to take home, give Jack Douglas (former head guide for the Halls, new owner a few years ago) a call in Savannah (912-925-4459). Tell him what's left of Ken Howell sends best wishes.

Its about the same with our East Texas piney woods rooters if you are dog hunting. In the switch cane, bamboo briars and yaupon thickets distance is in feet. Hogs are generally looking at you and fairly po'ed too. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Most of the boys use 357 or 44 or 45 with hard cast bullets for the penetration.

BCR

I took a .41 Magnum S&W M57 on a boar hunt once, but I also had my rifle, a Winchester 94 in .444 Marlin, open sights. The Plott Hounds had him at bey in a swamp. I got within 30 yards and took him out with a heart shot from the front. I was tempted to try the M57 (loaded with heavy hard cast lead), but the dogs were all over him and I was concerned about hitting one of them by mistake, so I opted for the carbine instead.

Boar hunting is the greatest, but you are right about not using a scope. My buddy had a scoped .270 Browing bolt action (his deer rifle), and his shot was close too. He shot way low and blew his animal's intenstines out with the first shot. He continued to fight with the dogs (intestines dragging on the ground) until a second shot did him in. Hope that didn't gross anyone out.

There just isn't anything like shooting wild boar with a handgun. I have used a Ruger SBH to shoot them critters in Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana.

You just have to wait until they are really mad, charging at you as fast as they can, and you can see the sunlight shine off their teeth and eyes...then you tighten-up the cuffs of your pants, and let a 240 grainer rip through the spine just behind the shull...

I also use a Ruger SBH for deer and antelope at 100 yards and less (with the iron sights Bill intended to have his SBH carry, and not some piece of glass). I use a Ruger BH in .357 for deer and antelope at 75 yards and less, and also for an occasional prairie dog.

When I was in Texas and California it was fun to blast jackrabbits with a Ruger Hawkeye...but they are such stupid animals that I became bored killing them, so I started just putting nice little round holes in their ears. It was always interesting to whistle-up a jack and see two or tree holes in an ear...they have to be the dumbest animals God ever created...other than Democrats...

I'd have to say anytime is a good time to hunt with a handgun...if you know your limits. You ought to know at what range you can hit a paper plate staning on your own hind legs every shot and that's your range. I've hunted with 45 Colts for a while. A 300 SWC at 1300 fps is a heck of a killer. I haven't connected with a hog yet. I've shot several with rifles but never a handgun yet. Seems if I want to never see a hog I just need to only take the 45. I'll set there and watch deer for hours with nary a porker in sight. If I have a rifle the pigs will be overrunning me. I'll get one before it's over though.

Rob45, take both every time.

Generally I do take both. I usually carry my 5.5" SBH 45 Colt when I am rifle hunting. The last couple years I've made a commitment to take just a handgun and if I score I score and if I don't I don't. Usually I've already taken my allotted deer by this time with a rifle and so I'll sit on a hot spot for wild hogs and I'll see nothing but deer. If I didn't have a new rifle I'm wanting to play with this year I'd use just the 45 Colt. It may still work out as I'm planning on several different hunts this year and should have ample opportunity to use both. I have an 8" Pac-Nor barreled stainless SBH that David Clements built for me with tight chambers, tight barrel gap, linebored, etc. It's a tack driver of a gun and fun to play with. It's the one I've been hog hunting with the last two years and only seeing deer. Maybe this year I'll score. With 18.5 grains of 2400 and an RCBS 300SWCGC it runs right at 1300 fps and shoots under 2" at 50 yards with factory sights. That'll take just about anything the great state of Texas has to offer <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Rob45, my hog hunting was probably a fluke, my first and only time out I shot two smallish piggies around a hundred pounds each. there were three together and i was less than 35 yards away hiding in some brush. At day light the pigs had come to some bait. I fired three shots hit one pig twice and the one once...first single action then two double action three hits two dead pigs all with a S&W 4" 586 357 mag. I am a fair shot with a pistol but I certainly would not want to take on a big boy with a 357 next time it is going top be rifle time.

Bullwnkl.

Rifle time is right. At 30 yards I shot a boar's heart out with a .444 Marlin round, and it still fought the dogs for another five seconds before dropping. That's probably enough time to cover 30 yards distance for an enraged boar.

Bullwnkl

I'm a Big Bore fan, but I really like the .357 mag., alot. From your post, you don't seem to be to impressed with the .357 mag's results on those pigs. What bullet were you using? Could you expand on the effects of the .357?

Prospector

EVERY TUB HAS TO SIT ON ITS OWN BOTTOM.

Mr Howell
I to am a fan of handgun hunting, espically hogs. I have taken only 4 deer I think with a handgun, a 29 Smith. I started taking a few handguns in on trade and now I have about a dozen.
Ruger Security six 357 stainless 4 inch
Ruger GP100 ss 6 inch 357
S&W 640 357 ss 2 inch
Ruger MKII slab side competition 22
S&W model 57 41 mag
S&W 29 6 inch blue
Ruger Blackhawk 41 mag
Ruger Superblackhawk ss 44
Ruger Redhawk ss 5 ich
Ruger Superredhawk 7.5 inch ss
I have some 158 grain cast with a gc for the 357 that I plan to load in 38 Special brass with a reduced load for plinking.
223 grain cast with gc for reduced 44 Specials for plinking. 320 grain cast with gc for hunting loads at full power 44 mag, or as much as I can stand. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I still havent done anything with the 41's yet.
I plan to use W-296 for the full house 44 loads and HS-6 for the others. I chose HS-6 because I have about 40 pounds that I got in a trading deal. Ought to keep me shooting for a day or so. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
I plan on working a load with the 320 grainers mainly for hog hunting. I dont have any experience with this bullet , but at 1000 to 1300 fps I think it ought to do a number.
Charlie

Hi Ken

I generally carry a 2 revolvers while hunting. One is rimfire, either a S&W model 17 with optima 2000 reddot or a S&W model 48. The other is centerfile, either a S&W model 57 with tasco optima 2000, a Ruger Redhawk in 44mag or a Colt Anaconda in 44 mag. I use the rimfire for ground squirrels and jack rabbits. The centerfire is for coyotes.

I only hunt small game with my hand guns. Lately I've been doing a lot of rabbit shooting as I drive around on the new deer lease. I killed several last week with the 40 S&W cal. Beretta 96 and 180 gr. solids. It's good to know I can hit a jack rabbit with my defense gun. I've also been shooting the Ruger BearCat. It likes Remington subsonic loads. Yesterday, I took the Ruger MK I with the target barrel out. That's the hand gun I have the most experience with and I was on a hot streak with it. I made nine consective one shot kills and a lucky 40 yard head shot. I was holding for a shoulder shot but hit a little high. That pistol shoots Winchester hollow points very well.

Here, it's legal to shoot from a pickup on private property. That's when I really like a hand gun. They are just too handy for a poke out the window. At one time I was considering a Thompson Contender in .222 Rem for varmint hunting from the truck but fur prices droped and I never followed through with that idea.

As far as big game goes I'd much rather have a rifle than a hand gun.