Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Recommend a handgun or 2 for me

I've been interested in getting a handgun or 2 for a while but have no idea what I'd even want. Here are the reasons for me:
1. Deer hunting. I've shot with 3006 for years. Thought it might be fun to try with handgun. Shots up to 200 yards in western KS.
2. "Protection" from rattlesnakes or mountain lions if I encounter them out west as I explore when fossil hunting out west.
3. Paper punching fun at home, targets.

Please suggest calibers, gun models, etc. I realize my uses may lead to 2 gun suggestions and that's fine.
Budget would hopefully be no more than $800 for gun.
No preference for semi auto or revolver.

The Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter in 41 or 44 mag equipped with a 2x20 scope would be accurate enough to kill a deer at 200 yds, if you can deal with the trajectory curve.

Otherwise, a hand cannon in a rifle cartridge would work. Contender, Encore, Savage Striker bolt gun,

I think Weatherby and Nosler each make or recently did make bolt action handguns.

BTW, I do not have concealed carry and not interested in that right now.
If that matters

There's a huge range of handguns that would fill that bill. I could name dozens, with a full range of weights, sizes, action types, calibers, etc., that would work fine. Yours isn't a very specialized need, and most handguns could be pressed into that duty.

Hardly needs saying, but avoid pocket sized pipsqueaks and specialized target guns, and stick with at least .38/9mm caliber and you should be fine.

Naturally, more power than that would be beneficial for certain purposes, but not strictly necessary for mountain lions, and there are tradeoffs associated with greater power with regard to such things as recoil, flash, and blast. .44 Special and .45 Colt or ACP are good, hard hitting, rounds, without the sort of recoil, flash, and blast, that some object to, assuming you want more power than a .38/9mm.

Keep in mind, also, that you could acquire a .44 Magnum revolver, and only shoot .44 Special in it, for reduced recoil, while retaining plenty of knock down power.

.44 Magnum revolver

9MM Glock 19

For deer hunting, especially out to 200 yards, it would be hard to beat one of the single shot Contender/Encore handguns. A huge array of available calibers.

For the protection (snakes and mt lions) and paper punching any of the 9mm auto's would be good. The Glock 19 is a solid choice.

A 44 mag revolver and a S&W M&P 2.0 compact 4" with a manual safety.

For the deer a .460 Magnum.
For everything else Ruger gp100 4 inch revolver.

The $800 limit poses a bit of an issue! The 460 S&W scoped and using a proper load will work quite well out to 200 yards.

If you are a hand loader, you can make your own shot shell cartridges which are equivalent to a 2 1/2” 410.....though the pattern goes to heck beyond 20-25 feet. But, more than adequate for small game and snakes at close range!

Again, if you hand load.....light loads have near nothing for recoil!

One handgun, properly loaded can do it all for you! memtb

I missed the handgun hunting of deer part the first time I read your post. Now your choices narrow a bit, for a more ideal choice, particularly with regard to caliber and sights. Your bottom level caliber choice would be more like something in .357 Magnum/.40 S&W, and you will likely benefit from adjustable sights and a longer sight radius.

For one handgun for all that, you might actually look into the S&W Model 69 with the 4.25" barrel. Just get that key lock deactivated.

To clarify, I kind of assume that my wants probably needs (favors) a 2 gun combo.
1 for deer, second for snakes or to deter a big cat.
$800 for the deer gun not including optic.

I would not be shooting at deer with a conventional handgun at 200 yards until you have a great deal of trigger time under your belt. Even with one of the "hand rifles" it's not like shooting a conventional rifle.

Get a .22 of some sort and learn to shoot it. It's not like shooting a rifle. A quality .22 revolver or autopistol is a great thing to have. The beauty of a .22 revolver is they are not functionally fussy about ammunition.

You can not go wrong with a 6 inch .44 magnum revolver. I like .41 magnums myself, but that's a reloading proposition. Last time I looked, I think I had equal numbers of .44's and .41's. Keyboard arguments can be made that favor one over the other, but when it gets down to the gun in your hand, there's no significant difference.

Some iteration of a S & W Model 29 (blue) or 629 (stainless) , they all are 44 Mag and would shoot 44 Spcl as well. A 6" barrel would work.

To be honest 200 yards is a long way out there for most revolver and pistols (not including CF rifle bottleneck cartridges in 6.5mm, 7mm, etc., on a Thompson Encore single shot platform. Another exception would be 500 S&W and 460 S&W at that distance, which would require a great shooting setup to absorb recoil and scope for distance compensation. Without a doubt a single or double action 44 Rem Mag revolver with a minimum 6-inch barrel would be the best all around revolver of use on big game, mostly by virtue of big game hunting ammo, bullets and component availability. A 41 Mag would also serve well a 357 Mag okay, but marginal on big game from lower bullet weight at distance. Open sites at 75-100 yds is very doable, scoping gets you another 50-75 yards if your competency is there.

In a pistol the 10mm is very potent and if using 5”- 6” long slide they are real accurate out to 75 yards on game. On average no custom or stock pistol will ever be as accurate at long distance as a custom or stock single or double action revolver with same barrel lengths.

On an $800 price point I’d be looking at used Ruger Blackhawk (maybe $600-$800), Redhawk, S&W 29, 57 (typically cost more than $800 even if used), 10mm pistol in Colt, Kimber, Taurus. There are many more firearms to choose from, good luck.

While I love my 44 Magnums.....a 200 yard shot is starting to stretch the effectiveness of the 44 mag. Certainly it will kill, but the holdover required adds difficulty to an already difficult shot. Having a handgun, that sends a “deer bullet” at 2200 fps (factory load) from an 8 3/8” barrel is pretty remarkable! If the shooter is capable of a 200 yard shot.....the cartridge is certainly capable!

According to my wife, the recoil from factory load Hornady 200 grain bullets, fired from my 460 XVR (factory muzzle brake) is quite tame. If fact, much more comfortable to shoot (except for the muzzle blast) than is our S&W 629 with a 265 grain bullet at maximum velocities! memtb

I have a CVA SCOUT V2 , 14", in 6.5 C that will do 200yds EASY. Has swivels so I carry it slung like a rifle. However for hiking around with protection in mind I can't think of a worse choice. I carry my 28-2 S&W for that. But wouldn't go past 75 yds or so hunting with it. The CVA creed was about $375 so leaves quite a few snake whackers available for $400-$500.

I appreciate the advice on 200 being really long.
I have shot some handguns, but I do realize a kind shot would need a lot of practice.
I like the idea of a 10mm.
Suggestions if I look harder at the 10 for deer hunting?

Both my suggestions would be revolvers, but neither of them would be good for deer hunting past 100 yards (with me at the trigger anyway.) - .44 and .357 mags. The two best reasons to own a revolver anyway. You could fill both roles of hunting and defense with just the .44 mag in something like a 5 or 6” barrel. My choice would be a S&W stainless model 629. Maybe something a little smaller in frame size and barrel length in the .357, like a 686, for a dedicated defense gun, for stuff that’s easier to kill than bears, like snakes and cats and dogs and such. If you’re honestly looking to get into handgun hunting at longer distances, I’d be looking at a S&W Xframe. I’d go with the .460, but that’s a pretty specialized kind of hunting. I always carry a 629 on my hip when I’m deer hunting in the north east. Not so much for defense against anything, but for if the opportunity presents itself to take a ‘close shot’ at a buck or black bear inside of 50 yards, just for the Schitts and grinz of It.

I should add, both are extremely versatile in what you can put through them and thence alot of fun at the range as well.

3rd reason, and excellent too, if you’re into rifles, next up becomes acquisition of a ‘companion cartridge’ lever rifle in either chambering.

For 200 yards in a hunting handgun the TC or XP100 would be ideal, with a handgun scope mounted on a flat shooting cartridge such as a 30-30 or 6.5 BR


A semi auto in 9mm, 357 Sig or 45ACP would work very well for your second pistol

Get with some buddies and shoot all they can put in your hands. Then you'll know what you like and don't like!


I wouldn't recommend starting out whacking at (live) stuff 200 yards away.

Mike