no doubt. my current deer shotgun is a single shot heavy rifled barrel 12 gauge, shooting hollow point sabot slugs, i am absolutly deadly to 75-100 yards. 50 yards i can put three in a group of around 2.5 inches, and it will flat lay a deer down at 50 yds. trouble is, it weighs around 13 pounds.

 

i use a remingto 870 express magnum, works fairly well.

 

yeah, thats a good one too. at a 100 yrds i get like 12 inches of drop, but am able to compensate for it through the scope. i would never attempt to shoot a deer this far out with it, 50 yds or a little over is my max range with this gun. i'm really not looking for any more range with the new pistol (which i bought by the way- blackhawk hunter? SA with 2x scope), i just though hunting with a handgun sounded fun.

 

[QUOTE=can17;1632723]The DA's you refer too- don't you mean redhawk/super redhawk? Either way, the .44 mag is plenty for deer, at 75 yards and beyond. Myself, I prefer a single action. I have a Super BH Hunter (with bisley grip frame) and a Freedom Arms .454 Casull. As far as a scope or no scope, I think it's personal preference. A large revolver is just much easier to carry without a scope imo.

a friend of mine shot one of those he said it about tore his are off. I would still like to have one anyway

 

Cheapskate, you buying it at Prarie Creek? If so, tell Adam that Pat said howdy.

I used to work there back in the mid 80's before he partnered with Dave Morris ( the original owner).

I had a Ruger Redhawk in 8-3/8 with a Leupold scope. Personally, I wouldnt have a scope on one any longer, perhaps a red-dot, but I never did get used to shooting with the scope.

 

Good choice on the Super Blackhawk Hunter. I think you'll really enjoy it.

 

We`ll here in Michigan ive had good luck with a GP100 Ruger ,100 yrds is no trick open sights , if you can shoot a deer with a 30.30 you can do the same with a 3.57 mag .
Just my personal experiance.
Claude Tea brewed in my best sock ,AH!! GOOD

 

i love my full stainless GP100, i got it laying in front of me right now.

 

no, ludco in parker city. just east of here.

 

Yah, scopes on the heavy handguns are a bit much for me, too. I did build a nifty shoulder holster for a guy who brought in a Casull in .454, and modified his "came with" shoulder rig for the S&W .500. What a crummy bit of leather work THAT was.... especially considering the retail price they charged him for it! Dang gun kept slipping THROUGH the holster and hanging the sights on the lower lip. I made built up leather blocking to hold it in place by letting that huge cylinder rest on the blocks - worked out great. He even brought in an older rig for the Casull and had the same thing done for it.

BOTH of these revolvers were scoped, it was a two handed job just to hold them up to eye line, I can't imaging shooting accurately with them. Of course his hand and wrist are about 3x what mine are....

I've shot ladies league with hubby's built K frame S&W with a red dot on it, man was that a sweet running gun, and so easy to pick up the target fast.

Also concur with porting the barrels - just don't get the vertical porting if you intend to scope it! Hubby's K-Comp was done with the vertical port by S&W Custom Shop, it tamed the bearcat for recoil rise and fast recovery, but oh, man, talk about blast.

 

Once you try one of these in the field or on the range, you won't look back.
barrels switch out in seconds, so you can get into another round entirely, for around 200 bucks per barrel (give or take). Great Balance, and a sure first shot. 10 inch barrels, 14 or 15 inch barrels, and if you want to make it into a shotgun or rifle, just switch barrels again!
I use a 7tcu 14 inch barrel 2 power scope for deer and bear, up to 200 yds (I prefer 100 or less, but zero'd to 200).
I use a .223 14 with a 2-6 power scope for prairie dogs and squirrels, or coyotes and cougars (depending on the size and typeof bullet) out to 250yds.
The reasonable price first attracted me, the accuracy, priced, and adaptability kept me.
I did use a Ruger Redhawk 44 mag on feral hogs, out to 70 yds (longest shot) and like both types of firearm.

 

I have a Super Blackhawk with a long barrel that is a pleasure to shoot and is quite accurate. Lots of wheel weight has been returned to the earth with that thing.

I also have a Contender and I really like the .357 Herritt, a 30-30 necked up and shortened. It will shoot into about .8 of an inch at 100 yards, and is plenty for deer.

For elk I have some hot loads in 45-70 for a compensated super16 barrel. Unfortunately my barrel will shoot clover leaf groups with 400 grain bullets and hot loads, but will be all over the place with lighter loads.

If you go with a scope, I've had good luck with Burris handgun scopes.

 

Ok I'll bite on this...

We`ll here in Michigan ive had good luck with a GP100 Ruger ,100 yrds is no trick open sights , if you can shoot a deer with a 30.30 you can do the same with a 3.57 mag .
Just my personal experiance.
Claude Tea brewed in my best sock ,AH!! GOOD

At 50 yards the hottest 357 loads are carrying under 600ft lbs of energy at 100 it would be less than that, way less! Anyone that is bragging about reliably and easily taking whitetail deer @ 100 YARDS is full of what comes out of the South end of a North bound Moose. Anyone who does not have the respect for their game to make clean, quick kills is not a hunter in my book. Even if you are Bob London you shouldn't be advertising it as a "normal and easy" way to hunt. The 357 out of a pistol or Carbine has nowhere near the energy of a 30-30. Stick to talking about trucks.

Hondo

 

have not read other posts but can give you my experience.... handgun hunting is a hell of a good time and takes some stalking skills and puts you close and personal. I am not talking about a TC Contender with scope and shooting a 280 or 300WinMag but a regular pistol.

I have a couple and find them very enjoyable to shoot as well as hunt with. Here is what I have...

-Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Rem Mag, 2x Leupold scope. I am good out to about 50-75yds max. Rounds from major brands are good but prefer handloads or high end custom rounds with more meplat on the lead bullet. Fav hunting load is Garret 310gr modified keith SWC at 1320fps, 920ftlbs at 100yds. These are good for shoulder shots on deer and even elk at close range. Garret Cartridges Inc.
http://www.galleryofguns.com/Shootin...cles.asp?ID=29


-Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley Hunter .45 with open sights. I am good to about 45-50yds unless I have a steady rest but usually no more than 50yds. I use a good heavy bullet here for hunting as well. Shoot cowboy rounds for plinking or SWC leads but this is my favorite pistol of the bunch. Mix of .45cal and Bisley frame. Fav hunting load is Georgia Arms .45 Long Colt Deer Stopper 260gr jacketed hollow point +P. 1200 FPS and will plain knock them in the dirt. .
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...?Item=77157731

I carry both of these in modified shoulder/chest holsters for hunting but do have a hip holster for the .45 in case I am feeling increasingly like someone out the old west and take my marlin 1895 in 45-70 along with the trusty single action.

So you can see I prefer Rugers for heavy, dependable hunting pistols but I have a couple other favorites....money is limitation.

-BFR http://www.magnumresearch.com/BFR.asp and here I would get the 480 Ruger/475 Linebaugh in this weapon. Great rounds with you pushing the envelope with .475 Linebaugh...but can shoot factory .480 rounds when desired. Another option is the .454 Casull which in regular form is a formidable hunting round but on those days you feel like less punch you can shoot regular .45LC rounds. Much like you can shoot .44 special out of .44 Rem Mag...or .38 Spl out of a .357 Mag. Gives a man more options and opportunity for fun.

If price is not an issue....then Freedom Arms is the pinnacle of hunting pistols for both form and function. http://www.freedomarms.com/ With this choice you would need to buy and extra cylinder as their tolerances are so tight the .45 colt rounds would cause carbon buildup and problems later for .454 shooting....but if you buy the .454 they offer you choice to buy also a .45 Colt cylinder which is well worth it. Some shoot both in .454 but they do not recommend it...so ultimately your choice.

My favorite sixgun site is www.sixgunner.com but is down for repairs right now unfortunately but a wealth of info there when available. Another source is any book by John Taffin. He has them available on Amazon and other venues and his books are the BIBLE of sixgunners without equal.
http://www.sixguns.com/


Since you said HUNTING and not Cowboy Action Shooting, Competitive silhouette shooting, self defense, long range shooting or any other past times...I kept it to what is my favorites and also what is pretty much the standard in the world of handgun hunting. Now I know some will recommend SW.500 or Ruger.460 but those are specialty weapons and the recoil is not for everyone and the rounds are expensive and not found at your local walmart or gunshops if you are in BFE.

I have shot whitetail, coyotes, bear, hogs and lots of milk cartons of ice with mine and none could tell the difference between the two (.44RemMag or .45LC) if I did my part and got within range of my skills and put the bullet where it needed to go. I prefer shoulder shots to anchor my quarry anytime I am hunting whether rifle, pistol or blackpowder.....just my preference.
As for porting...that is personal preference but would recommend you shoot a ported weapon on range first before getting yours modified. My .44Mag is MagnaPorted....great at reducing barrel rise and increasing accuracy but with single action you are not going to set any speed shooting records anyhow. I wish I would not have done it now but other than shortening the barrel and having it recrowned I am stuck with it. If you like your ears to bleed when you shoot from the noise or dont mind wearing two sets of hearing protection in the woods when hunting....then you might enjoy it. Just try it before you spend money on porting. My .02cents.
With the heavier build of the Ruger Super Blackhawks...the 7.5 inch barrel...and especially with a Bisley grip....it is not that bad anyhow without porting and the plan is one shot kills like muzzleloading or shooting a Ruger No1....so get used to your pistol...shoot her...clean her...find her soul. Then if you are still pent on a port job...get it done by MagnaPorting...best in business. Also recommend sending cylinder to http://www.cylinder-slide.com/ if you have accuracy problems between cylinder holes. Some Rugers have tight cylinders on exit hole which shaves or compresses the bullet before it enters barrel. These guys are noted experts on process and will measuer and adjust your cylinders to be matching on exit and to specifications. One other thing to consider is a Belt Mountain base pin....some base pins will move forward under heavy recoil. The belt mountain version is tighter fit in a couple different models depending if you want Keith style or knurled or whatever. Midway USA has them reasonable
http://www.midwayusa.com/ebrowse.exe...g?brandid=1817

Hope this helps and I did not repeat too much of what was already stated above.... Good Luck.

Oh forgot to mention my baby...>Texas Longhorn in .44spcl

 

Congradulations on stepping up to pistol hunting. You won't be disappointed after a little practice. The type of handgun is a matter of personal preference. My experience suggests that you may want a forked stick. Something in the inch and a quarter diameter range about four feet long. Use this to steady your aim when you are caught standing or kneeling. Watch out for the blast off the cylinder. It doesn't feel good. Next get a set of good grips that fit you and the gun. A good set of grips reduces felt recoil and adds to good gun control. They can also help build confidence. My favorites are Houge. Another suggestion is to practice with the ammo you intend to hunt with. It is more expensive than practice ammo but you will learn how it works a various ranges and it eliminates some of the guess work. Good Hunting.