Handgun as a primary hunting weapon.

[Nytracker]

Who out there is hunting with a handgun  as a primary hunting weapon. What platform are you using. What bullet and load. 

I'm probably going to hunt with my 480 super redhawk 7.5 barrel topped with an ultra dot. My load is a home cast  hollowpoint  dropping at 391 grains over 12.5 grains of hs6.

Have a few others that need to get bloodied.

My next choice will be a sbh 41 mag topped with 4x scope. 210 grain xtp over 20 grains of h110.

My belt gun will be 5.5 sbh bisley in 45 colt  250 gr hornaday xtp.

Edited November 9, 2018 by Nytracker

[airedale]

When I first got my permit I dove into hunting with handguns for both big and small game almost exclusively until I got my fill. I honed my shooting skills on small game where the opportunities happen with much greater frequency. I was taking rabbits, chucks, coons and even a few squirrels on a consistent basis with a couple of 22s, a Colt Woodsman Sport and a S&W model 17 Masterpiece. I also used the handguns used for big game on Chucks quite a bit to become very familiar with them in the field. I took a few Deer with both a Colt Python 357 shooting handloaded 146 gr Speer HPs, also used a S&W model 29 44 mag and fired 225 Speer HPs handloaded.

I enjoy hunting with a handgun a lot, it is similar to archery where you need to get fairly close and learn stealth techniques to be a successful hunter. Like any other type of hunting implement it is all about confidence and making the shot.

Al

[Nytracker]

 Yes that's what I love about handgun hunting up close and personal puts the challenge  back into hunting. Plus it let's me spend time with my precious...

[G-Man]

i have used a hand gun as a primary weapon many times in muzzleloader season.. 50 cal 90 grains of powder in a knight pk pistol. pushing a 300 grain .442 bullet  works like a charm and much lighter than carrying a rifle around. still effective to 90 yards with a side of  tree as a rest. 50yards off hand. 

Edited November 10, 2018 by G-Man

[Nytracker]

I have been looking for an encore black powder pistol barrel.  They quit making them a while back and the few that will make them charge what a whole gun costs. 

[Rattler]

I'd like to hunt with a Glock 20 Long Slide using good 10MM hunting rounds and a reflex sight.

[Marion]

Just pretend you're Razor Dobbs and shoot cape buffalo with a 10mm Dan Wesson 1911

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[rob-c]

I hunt with a 44 SRH 9.5 barrel topped with a ultradot  red dot ,decided to go with 240 grain xtp over 20 grains of 2400 this yr. 

wife hunts with a gp-100 357 mag also topped with a ultrdot red dot. Had her using 158 grain xtp over 13 grains of 2400. She will be using her new rifle this year. 

We have been working up some 158 grain large meplat Keith style bullets for her GP. I go back and forth with my bullets between hard cast and jacketed, starting to lean towards large meplat hard cast though. 

 

[TACC]

I'd like to hunt with a Glock 20 Long Slide using good 10MM hunting rounds and a reflex sight.

I agree, Underwood ammo, 220 grain hard cast, drops them like a 12 pound sledge. With a muzzle break on its like shooting a 9mm.

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[Nytracker]

Rob c have you ever messed around with the 300 gr xtp in your gun .my sbhh shoots them well. I haven't killed with them yet. They are a handful pushed to the max

[rob-c]

11 minutes ago, Nytracker said:

Rob c have you ever messed around with the 300 gr xtp in your gun .my sbhh shoots them well. I haven't killed with them yet. They are a handful pushed to the max

I have not, I did some research on the 300 grainers and was reading about some  guys not getting good performance on game with them. They were not opening up very well. I am going to do a bunch of testing this spring/ summer with some hard cast from 260 grains up to 300. 

[Nytracker]

I have had 240 gr xtp fragment on ribs  and a couple jacket separation.  Understanding I'm not shooting rifle velocities  I still would like to see the bullet stay together and exit. I haven't recovered a whole bullet  yet. Thinking next year messing with swift a framed. Just hard to swallow $54 a box of 50. 

[Dinsdale]

18 minutes ago, Nytracker said:

I have had 240 gr xtp fragment on ribs  and a couple jacket separation.  Understanding I'm not shooting rifle velocities  I still would like to see the bullet stay together and exit. I haven't recovered a whole bullet  yet. Thinking next year messing with swift a framed. Just hard to swallow $54 a box of 50. 

Huge fan of A frames in rifle; go to bullet and have taken everything from heavy to light game with them and always get outstanding performance. When I recover they never have any separation even after bone hits at magnum speeds.

Midway seems to discount in the spring in general when I have bought on sale; maybe worth watching.

 

[philoshop]

I've taken several deer with my T/C contender in .44 Mag with a 10" barrel and Leupold 2x scope. I lost one in a wicked snowstorm where any tracking became impossible almost immediately after the shot. In retrospect, I wish I hadn't even taken the shot. But it is what it is. I couldn't even find my own tracks to get off the unfamiliar property by the time I gave up. I might have stepped right on the dead deer covered with snow and not known about it. I'm not sure the results would have been any different with something other than a handgun though.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

On 11/11/2018 at 5:52 AM, Nytracker said:

I have been looking for an encore black powder pistol barrel.  They quit making them a while back and the few that will make them charge what a whole gun costs. 

buy a ML rifle barrel and get it cut down. 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I hunt with a TC encore in 308 win. 15" barrel. Rested it is capable of tennis ball groups at 200 yards. I load my own and shoot 130 grain Hornady soft points over 34 grains of H4895

[Nytracker]

Nice encore. Have the same but I like the laminate  furniture.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Just now, Nytracker said:

Nice encore. Have the same but I like the laminate  furniture.

little heavy....lol. not an off hand pistol. 

[rob-c]

7 hours ago, Nytracker said:

I have had 240 gr xtp fragment on ribs  and a couple jacket separation.  Understanding I'm not shooting rifle velocities  I still would like to see the bullet stay together and exit. I haven't recovered a whole bullet  yet. Thinking next year messing with swift a framed. Just hard to swallow $54 a box of 50. 

I have not recovered a xtp on any of the deer I have shot, but have seen guys that have and they posted photos of jacket separation. The xtp’s get the job done but there are better no doubt. Have read nothing but good things about A frames even on dangerous game out of revolvers.

Before I moved up to the 44 I hunted with a 357 mag Blackhawk and loaded 180 grain rim rock hard cast gas check over 13.5 grains of 2400. They chronod at 1300 FPS . Only 100 FPS off the buffalo bore load with the same bullet, and I had outstanding performance on deer with that combo.

i never should have moved away from the hard cast, but one has to tinker and experiment. 

[Nytracker]

My 44 doesn't like hard cast  yet

My winter  project is to guage cylanders,slug bore,perhaps ream cylanders . That will be a start.

[nosquibs]

On ‎11‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 9:39 PM, Nytracker said:

Rob c have you ever messed around with the 300 gr xtp in your gun .my sbhh shoots them well. I haven't killed with them yet. They are a handful pushed to the max

I've been using them in a Ruger 77 carbine and have taken 4 deer with them, never recovered any of them but all four deer pretty much dropped right there! One managed to get about 50 yards. I have no idea how they'd work from a shorter barrel and I'm not going to try them in my SBH as I have them loaded up pretty hot.

I've been down the handgun only road before, usually it's either my SBH in .44mag or/and a TC contender in .35Rem. and sometimes a Dan Wesson .357.