Thought I'd pick the brains of the collective and see what people here would consider the ideal hand gun/cartridge for all around hunting and multi day excursions without a rifle. However I'm gonna put some parameters on the pick. Gun can't weigh more than 3.5 lbs, all up sans loaded ammo, no scopes(iron sights only) and must be a repeater ie revolver or automatic. This obviously forfeits so called hand cannons like the xp100 bolt guns etc and TC contenders.

At present my pick is the Ruger Bisley I have in 45 Colt that sports a 5.5" barrel shooting 300 gr. hardcast between 1100-1250 FPS. Mine weighs in at 2lbs 13oz empty, plenty accurate for big game and packs nice in either belt or shoulder holster.

This combo should have enough punch out to 125-150 yrds if one has practiced and proven their competence in making hits when appropriate. I've killed one WT doe at 80 yrds. with this combo so proven in my mind. I'd also add that in the off chance of the occurrence of a zombie apocalypse, if not making direct hits one could at least scare said zombies into keeping their heads down at distances beyond the 150 yrds mentioned above and following Elmer Keiths lead, walking projectiles into ranges of 300-400 yrd.

So what ya got?

My picks are the G20 10mm, SBH 44 Rem 4 5/8’s, SBH 480 Ruger 4 1/2 and the Magnum Research 500 JRH 5 1/2. I like them all for different reasons but they are all great shooting pistols.

Bisley 5 shot 480 Ruger with a red dot sight - either barrel length...

4” SW 686

Ruger Bisley 6 shot 45 Colt is what I have and have used on deer and black bear. I love it and expect it is entirely adequate for big game up to moose.

I forgot to add that mine is stainless steel and has a 5.5" barrel. I had David Clements ream the cylinder throats, free wheel the cylinder so that it will rotate both directions with no clicks, install his Patridge front sight and he did a tune up on the action and trigger as well as a Taylor throating to remove any barrel choke.

The gun shoots great!

Pre-lock S&W 29 or 629 in addition to the Ruger Bisley .45 Colt that you have now. The Ruger has an OK factory trigger the S&W will have a great one. Pick whichever you feel like on a given day Glock G20 if you feel like carrying a pistol.

Glock 20 in 10mm or one of my Ruger Bisley Models with a 5.5” barrel in either 45 Colt or 44 Mag.

You have the ideal setup. Stainless I presume.

Boom! Problem solved.

I've gone to Glock G20 flinging 200 gr hardcast for those duties. I have a SS Ruger Bisley 45 colt, 5.5" and a SS Ruger Bisley 480 6.5" tube. I really like the Ruger Bisley but find I'm just as accurate with the G20 at 50 yards and under and I can get on target faster after initial shots. In fact, I'm probably going to sell my Bisley 45 colt.

Is your G20 bone stock or did you do any modifications to it to reach out to 50yards accurately?

Stock, no mods.

For all of you running the g20s, has anyone tried the g40. I’d think the added inch on the barrel and sight radius might boost your accuracy. I have a 20 but have been thinking awfully hard at getting a 40. I’d go with my g20 in the above parameters or my smith stealth hunter 44( pretty sure it’s too heavy for the above minimum weight tho).

G20 has been my go to hog gun for the last 5-6 years. Been 1 and done. Very easy to carry and 100% reliable. Easy to field strip and clean.............

+1, although before I got my 686, my Gov't Model 1911 and my 7 1/2" SBH saw a lot of time in the woods.

I have the 40, a G27 Gen 4, with the zev fully adjustable fulcrum, I'll be installing the skelotonized striker and the 3Lb striker spring, (I have all but the striker in the kit, I only installed and adjusted the trigger). It packs nicely, shoots very accurately, the trigger is the achilles heel of glocks, just shortening up pretravel/over travel made a pretty big difference. To carry around boo boo the bear country, I'd load the 200Gr noslers.

I don't know beans about handguns, but I have known a neighbor guy for almost 50 years, who has killed 1 or 2 bucks every year with a Smith, .41 Mag , iron sights, long barrel (8" maybe?). I run into him now and then out hunting, we hunt the same canyon, sometimes stop and eat a sammich in the sun and bs. We were doing that one day, disgusted, lamenting the lack of deer, and I said something about him needing a far shooter with a scope...and after a little back and forth, he yards his revolver out, braces over his knees and promptly whacks an old steel ore car wheel at what I later determined to be 285 yards. Gun? cartridge? man? I remain impressed whatever.

Blued. I bought the gun when they first came out at the nudging of Ross Seyfried when he was pushing the 45 colt Bisley combo. I had the barrel cut down and then as par for the course, Ruger came out later with the shorter version, as they did with the Redhawk, after I bought one and had it's 7.5" barrel shortened as well.

The Lipsey 5 shot 454 Casull 4 5/8" would be fun with hot 45 colt loads and is definitely on my radar but don't really need it. The standard 6 shot 45 colt will shoot plenty fast enough with 300-325 gr. for anything I plan on plugging.

Glad to see the .45 Colt getting some notice. A fine round indeed.

I don’t think mine would make the weight requirement but I’ve taken hogs & whitetails with it.

Ruger Redhawk with Leupold 2x scope, 44 RM tossing 240 Gr XTPs in the past and just recently 210 TSXs. The latter have yet to be tested on fleshy medium…

I like the Ruger SS Bisley's! I have one each in 22LR, 44 SPL and 480 Ruger, and two in 45 Colt; 3-1/2" and 5.5". Wish they made a 4-5/8", my favorite length. My favorite bullets are cast from wheel weights using Verl Smith's WFN LBT molds.

This has been posted enough times proving the 45 Colt is a serious cartridge with the right bullet/load.

betta antibiotic

Thanks for the pic, GSSP, puts in perspective what can be done with big bore pistols in competent hands.

Here's my Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley 4.62" barrel, in .480 Ruger. Loaded up with 410 gr. or 425 gr. Cast Performance bullets, it will take on anything you want to hunt! In addition, recoil is manageable, nothing like .454 Casull revolvers with full-power loads.

Ive been handgun hunting since the early 80’s using all sorts of different handguns. My go-to gun is a 44, 41, or 357 Auto Mag.

45 LC in a stainless Ruger and a Model 586 6inch. The biggest bear I ever shot was with a G19 though...

Smith 629 Mountain Gun or Springfield 10mm. Don't go out and about on my property without one or the other if I do not have a rifle. The 10mm did a number on a coyote that I nearly ran over with the side by side. Not much to aim at on a yote getting out of dodge running directly away from you on a downhill gasline right of way. But a shot to the southern end of a northbound yote with Umderwood loads anchors them quickly.

The mountain gun with its light barrel is good for defense or popping something up a tree a few yards away, but for accuracy I prefer a good ole regular barrel contour like on a 6" or longer 29.

I prefer the shorter barrel Ruger Bisleys. Mine is a 4-5/8” 44mag in stainless. Taken quite a few critters with it. A 45 Colt would be mo betterer I think.
Good luck, Tom