Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Handgun for hunting whitetail

Until it doesn’t! Properly scoped, proper cartridge combination easily makes the 460 (from a revolver) a 200 to 250 yard handgun for Whitetail with a skilled shooter……which is well beyond my capabilities. However, an elk sized kill zone and my 3 moa dot gives me a 150 yard handgun. I would not feel comfortable taking a 150 yard shot on an elk or moose at 150 with a 44 mag. But, that’s just me!

A shooter would need to be extremely skilled to bring the 44 mag or the 45 LC into play at 200 to 250 yards. Not saying it can’t be done…..merely exponentially adds to the degree of difficulty! JMO memtb

BS, al you need is practice, we shot open sites to 200 meters in metallic silhouette was very high percentage of hits.

I don't see the 460 as "reaching out further" for skilled shooters.

You’re not the only one that shot metallic silhouette! I reiterate ……not impossible with a lower velocity handgun, just a bit more difficult! A rangefinder, needed as the bullet drop from lower velocity cartridges gets problematic with the additional range, in addition to the additional bullet flight time all add to shot difficulty. Though, a very capable shooter can make it happen.

As usual, we have differing opinions on yet another matter! Have a nice day! memtb

The Fling 460 S&W weighs as much as some rifles fir a supposed advantage in killing range that is dubious in reality

Never said I was the only one to shoot silhouette, was simply using the sport to make a point

I have several revolvers that I carry hunting, a S&W 629 classic 5” with a Leupold DPP, Ruger Bisley 44 special 5.5” and a Ruger Bisley 480 6”. Hunting in the woods in these hills they will handle any shot I would take at a game animal. A coyote might get hazed around the hillside at longer distances because wounding them wouldn’t bother my conscience any. 50-60 yards on deer is about my comfort limit. I carry them when rifle hunting and consider them secondary if the opportunity presents itself.

I have a TC contender looking for a new home. Great pistol in 4 different calibers 22 lr.22 hornet 223 Remington and 44 mag all barrels are 14 inches long and drilled and tapped. it comes with 2 pistol scopes as well

A little late here and many good recommendations - just one comment on the above post……”simply” hitting a 200m ram (which is not easy to do - thus the quotations) with a “high percentage” of hits does not necessarily mean you hit the vital zone on a live animal (with a cold bore and under field conditions). Again not saying can’t be done - have seen some very good pistol shots make some fantastic shots but have seen a lot more misses than hits (both in the field and on the silhouette range). Just wanted to make that distinction as it is an important one.

PennDog

.357 on up on revolver
Figure 6mm TCU or more in a Specialty Pistol.

IHMSA.....center of ram was thw goal.
Center of deer proly means coyotes finish the job later that night.

Still looking for a .35 rem bbl for my TC. Stainless, came w a braked version. Dumped tbat bbl. Want a blued reg 14.

Gunshow guy hasnt made last couple. Aint payin Ebay nonsense. Need to make a loop of small mom n pop shops some Saturday and see whats available.

Run a .35 rem pump rifle as main rig. Like the cartridge.
All my handgun deer have been w revolvers. Suppose I could just get a 12 " .357 mag bbl and call.it good enough.

Back when I was playing the IHMSA game, 200 meter shots with a .44 mag revolver got to be a casual affair. I usually competed with a Dan Wesson 8 3/8" barrel. Just for kicks I would sometimes use a 5.5" Ruger Blawkhawk .44 mag using Elmer's load of 22 grains of 2400 and a hardcast Lyman 429421 that I made from quenched cast straight wheelwright alloy.

Offhand, it's a pretty good trick to place shots beyond 100 yards with a .44 mag revolver. But if you play with one enough for Zen to get involved, 200 yard shots can get very ordinary if there's something nearby to rest the revolver on.

One suggestion. Take the grip frame screws out one at a time, clean everything up with acetone, then reinstall them with red lock tight. Those grip frame screws will loosen up and accuracy goes to schitt as a result.

A two pound trigger helps quite a bit too..

I've used a .44 mag for most of my handgun deer. In my youthful ignorance and lack of judgment, i once shot a running deer at 160 yards with one (through the heart and was dead when stopped sliding across the snow). The .44 mags will certainly do the job. I bought a .460 and scoped it simply for the extra range I felt comfortable shooting a deer with it. I had wrist surgery after getting it though and haven't shot one with it yet.

My perspective based on your situation is a bit different. That TC should be all you need for the long shots on stand; but not great for stalking / walking. I'd be tempted to put a sling on your TC and get a 5" .44 mag or so with holster for the closer shots. That way you're covering both options well.

After reading all the posts here, I’m convinced my 4” 625MG and 5.5” Bisley both in .45 Colt are all I would need for WT, especially when shooting Keith 270g SWC from MacKay_Sagebrush.

I hunt deer every fall with a pistol in one flavor or another. I have killed deer with .357s, .44 mags and 10mm. There are lots of options out there for weapon platforms. Find a platform that fits you and start there. Practice, practice, practice. Shot placement is more important then knockdown power. You don't need a 460 or .500 to kill a deer. I could see using the larger 460 X Frame and using .45 LC to take the recoil until you get some practice under your belt, but keep in mind that the .454 is no slouch.
A .44 mag is a good middle of the road starting point if you like wheel guns and can utilize .44 specials for low recoil practice. If you are into autos check out the 10mm. But keep in mind that all 10mm ammo is not created equally. I have really enjoyed hunting with my 10mms the last few years and have to say that the round itself is my favorite pistol round.

I don’t recall “need” being in the question. That said…..you are absolutely correct in everything else you stated! Though, the S&W with their factory brake system are far more pleasant to shoot than most non-ported 44 magnums or the .454’s…..however, much louder also! memtb

You can talk about how well these smaller cartridges like the 41 mag and 44 mag work on deer, but how much fun are you really having if that is all you shoot? This is the second shot my wife made with my sons 4" 500 S&W. She was having a good time!



For some reason these revolvers can be bought slightly used at very reasonable prices...

I'm a 41 Rem Mag fan, but have used 460, 454, 44 Rem Mag and 10mm Auto. Big fan of hard cast lead too for hunting WT. Whatever you decide on, get as good as you can with it and enjoy!

I would pick what serious handgun hunter would use ie Taurus Raging Hunter 6,75 inch barrel .44 Magnum. They also offer .454 and .460 where longer barrel would help with muzzle blast.

Tell us one of your hunting stories , Slavek .....

LMAO. Fugking Taurus for the serious hunter.

Years ago I won a Taurus Raging Bull in 454C at a SCI dinner. I was heavily into handgun hunting at the time and was happy about this! Until I shot it! Brand new, right out of the box, the timing was so bad it spit like crazy and you almost needed a face shield to use it. Off to the gunsmith to get taken care of and then used very little and then down the road it went. The gunsmith fixed it, but I was prejudiced against it now and it didn't matter. But it introduced me to 454C and I then got one of the nicest hunting handguns, a D-Max Sidewinder in 454C. So there's that...

41 or 45...44's are boring although I have several