irishhunter

Hey folks-

I was thinking of next year giving pistol hunting a try. Anyone here hunt with a pistol? what is the best cal.?
I was going to start looking into what gun to buy, I was leaning towards the Ruger redhawk in a 44mag what are your thoughts?

bigcountry

You got a good choice there with the ruger. I want one myself. I have a smith 44 mag and have killed boar with it.. I also have a 460smith. Little too heavy a gun. But is deadly out to 150 yards if you have the right rest. Little overkill however.

Little tip, wear hearing protection. I shot a doe at edge of dark last year, and with the muzzlebreak, I was blind and deaf. I think I did perminant damage to my left ear.

Swampdog

I like the .41 mag myself.Always the odd man out.

Colorado Luckydog

I was at Sportsmans Warehouse the other night and a guy was asking about 41mag ammo. They didn't have anything at all. However, I have a buddy who swears by his, but he reloads. I'm going to do my best next week to kill an elk with my 44mag!

Retaks

You made a good choice there with teh Ruger in 44 Mag. I personally hate the Ruger grips but they are easily changed. I have a Taurus 44 Mag that i have shot a few deer with.

eldeguello

You sure can't go wrong with a .44 Mag. The .41 Mag is also good. So is a heavily-loaded .45 Colt, and the .454 Casull. I am sure the .460 S&W and the .500 S&W are excellent, if you can stand the recoil! The .480 Ruger is in the mix as well.

Successful big-game hunting with a handgun demands a lot of practice. It is good to select a handgun for whichlower-priced practice ammo is available, or you need to be a handloader!

stalkingbear

I have 2 redhawks,1 in .44 and the other in .41-love em both and wouldn't hesitate to use either on deer.

usmc1978

Heard nothing but good about the .41 mag, but never hunted with one. I've taken 2 deer with a .357. Choose what you can shoot accurately and practice a lot.

Buck Hunter 1

I pistol hunted for years and enjoyed it but discipline and practice is a must. I would recommend you start w/ a 22 mag revolver scoped for squirrels. This gives you a good feel for the change syou will have ot make to becom eproficient in pistol shooting, patience, shot placement etc. The start reading about rounds for pistols and what and where you would pistol hunt.the 22 Mag is cheaper to shoot, learn on and make the decision if you want to go that route. Look at used pistols after season as a lot of guys get rig of them when they can't John wayne a shot at game. Good Luck!

muskiehunter

I would recommend ruger redhawk or super blackhawk hunter. I have two .44's (ruger blackhawk hunter with bisley grip and a taurus raging bull). In my experience, the ruger is built to tighter specifications and would be a better choice. Have to say that the taurus is darn accurate for me though and the grips are comfortable. Just got the ruger so still getting used to it.

I would go with a .44, .45 or .41. Wouldn't go any bigger for first hunting revolver.

I agree with the idea of purchasing a .22 revolver for practice and thats what my next gun purchase will be.