# Handgun hunting?



## Cornhusker (Mar 20, 2003)

I picked up a Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 mag the other day, and while doing a bit of research, I found that people mount scopes to them and hunt with them.
Seems like the hard way to do it, but challenging as well.
Anybody here tried handgun hunting?


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## backwoodsman (Jan 21, 2010)

Yep, it is challenging. One of my favorite ways to hunt squirrels is with a .32 or .36 cap and ball navy revolver. Odds are you wont take lots of game but what you do take will be very rewarding. I prefer iron sights or red dots but thats me. That .44 will be good for anything up to white tails or black bears. Good Luck


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

I've taken a few with a 44.
It's a lot of fun, and with a good rest I wouldn't hesitate to take a 100 yd shot.
Mostly I do it in the woods though, where the ranges are shorter


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

I carry a 44 super black hawk , just the iron sights when we drive the pines (over grown christmas tree farms) , chances are i won't get much of a shot but there have been times, but it sure is nice when you are basicaly crawling the drive on hands and knees to be able to holster , it makes it more convienient.

i have only shot one deer with the pistol however , it is usualy my back up gun or pines drive gun.


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## hunter63 (Jan 4, 2005)

I killed a couple with my .44 as well, carry it when I have already scored, and helping other hunters out.
Handy in thick cover.

Note: when shooting a hand gun from a sitting position, using your knee for a rest, make sure the end of the muzzle is past your knee, or better yet, *NEVER USE YOUR KNEE FOR A REST*, tends to blow holes in the insulation of your bib's.

All that hopping around and particals of insulation in the air make it hard to tell if you hit anything or not.
To say nothing about the state wide news papers telling the story of Mr. Dumas shooting his knee.


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## Cornhusker (Mar 20, 2003)

hunter63 said:


> I killed a couple with my .44 as well, carry it when I have already scored, and helping other hunters out.
> Handy in thick cover.
> 
> Note: when shooting a hand gun from a sitting position, using your knee for a rest, make sure the end of the muzzle is past your knee, or better yet, *NEVER USE YOUR KNEE FOR A REST*, tends to blow holes in the insulation of your bib's.
> ...


Sounds like experience talking?


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

while you not using your knee as a rest , make sure when you jump off the back of the truck sliding you gun from the case and dropping in a shell that you also spread out say 10 15 feet as your doing this it is very loud 

A, if the muzzle is only a foot or so infront of the guy next to you and you are sat 4-5 feet to his side 

B, you have an auto loader and the ejection port on your 12 ga is 3-4 feet to the side of their head 

C, you have a magnum revolver 

also should mention no one likes being hit with hot brass 

not my personal experience but the guy in the front of the boat really doesn't like it when you shoot over his head 

but personal experience - i don't like it when you shoot over my head at the squirl i am standing under , i don't like bark showers a guy i USE TO hunt with offered this as a way to get down the squirl i had shot with a 22 and it died ontop of an oak limb about 14 feet up i was standing under it when he hit it with a 12 ga from 20 or so feet back while it did get it down i would have prefered not to be standing under it when he shot.


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## backwoodsman (Jan 21, 2010)

Another safety tip for revolvers, watch the cylinder gap. You can rip an aluminum can open with it at 1 foot. Always be mindful of where your fingers are or what your resting it against as Hunter63 said. Being a revolver you wont have the range of alot of modern rifles but thats the draw of handgun hunting also for some. If its legal where your at a .44 makes a nice short range small game gun with shotshell cartridges or down/light loaded solids.


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## zant (Dec 1, 2005)

A Ruger .44 Mag is a great hunting handgun,if you reload you can come up with some excellent loads that will drop a deer with proper shot placement.Just practice and practice somemore.The one I've been out with has a 4 power scope and is extremely accurate with 275-300 LFN...In Al.,they want you to hunt with expanding bullets-makes no sense to me,so I don't handgun hunt.


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## hunter63 (Jan 4, 2005)

Cornhusker said:


> Sounds like experience talking?


Just call me Mr. Dumas........still have the bibs with the groove in the knee, went thru down to the inner-most layer.
Muzzle recoil banged the carp out of the end of my knee, grabbed it, didn't want to look.
Take a ball peen hammer, and hit your self on the knee....close.

Any way dropped the deer, with a neck shot......took a while to hobble down the hill to get it.

Duck hunting from a boat or small blind also gets dicey/noisy when a big flight comes into the decoys.

Anyway large cal. hand guns, sighted in properly, are as good any anything for ranges out to 75+ yds, if you can shoot it accurately.

A lot of people like the carbines and lever actions in the same calibers as the big hand guns... .357, ,41 Mag. 44 mag, as they are easier to shoot accurately for most people.

I like the expanding type or hollow point bullets for hunting, does a good job of dropping them.


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## mjb610 (Dec 7, 2009)

Hi everyone! I've hunted with my scoped ruger super blackhawk for about 10 yrs, i've killed dear with it every season. I like that my hands are free, i carry it in a crossdraw holster across my chest, it's nice not carrying a rifle of shotgun around allday. The biggest problem i see with a pistol is people usually don't practice enough with them, i hunt groundhogs, and just shoot it all year. I still carry a set of shooting sticks with me, or find a decent rest. Most of the deer i've killed were under 100 yrds.


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## Cornhusker (Mar 20, 2003)

Well, today I found out I can hit a 3 pound coffee can at 100 yards with this SBH, so I'm getting pretty excited about scoping it and trying to get me some meat with it.


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## backwoodsman (Jan 21, 2010)

Good Deal Corn. Hope its a deer slayer for ya.


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## tarbe (Apr 7, 2007)

I've killed two bucks with a pistol several decades ago..........but I cheated.

I used a scoped Contender!

10 inch .357 Herrett (30-30 case necked up to .357).



Tim


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## Dutch 106 (Feb 12, 2008)

Hey,
About 20+ years ago Wisconsin first allowed handgun hunting the DNR said that no one would do it because it was to hard. (snicker) I took out my TC Contender in 35 rem and took a nice 6 point buck. It turned out about 35,000 of us in Wisconsin took our deer with a handgun. 
They allowed us to hunt for about the next 8 years on an experiment to see if people would use a handgun. You are allowed to use one in shotgun only areas. So that was always a no brainer for me. You could only cary either a long gun or a handgun not both (for safety they claimed) I changed over to a 14 inch 41 mag barrel when I discovered I shot better groups at a 100 yards with it 3" verses 5.5" with the 35 Rem.
I havn't taken a deer at over 75 yards in a lot of years. I'm lazy so I set up ambuses.
Dutch


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Since the last two posts are about Thompson Contender pistols, I just thought I'd let you all know...again...that my TC set up is still for sale. The pistol has three barrels: .30-30, .45LC/.410 ga. and .22mag. Everything is contained in a nice Winchester padded aluminum carrying case. PM me if interested.


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## klickitat (Dec 26, 2008)

How much are you asking for this setup?



Cabin Fever said:


> Since the last two posts are about Thompson Contender pistols, I just thought I'd let you all know...again...that my TC set up is still for sale. The pistol has three barrels: .30-30, .45LC/.410 ga. and .22mag. Everything is contained in a nice Winchester padded aluminum carrying case. PM me if interested.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

klickitat said:


> How much are you asking for this setup?


$700 plus $30 s&h Must be shipped to FFL.


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## ninny (Dec 12, 2005)

Cornhusker said:


> Well, today I found out* I can hit a 3 pound coffee can at 100 yards* with this SBH, so I'm getting pretty excited about scoping it and trying to get me some meat with it.



Yeah, but taking 45 shots to hit it doesn't count...:nana:


.


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## backwoodsman (Jan 21, 2010)

Wish I had a use for it. Good price and nice setup.


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## Cornhusker (Mar 20, 2003)

ninny said:


> Yeah, but taking 45 shots to hit it doesn't count...:nana:
> 
> 
> .


:hysterical:
Yeah, I actually took 6 shots, hit it on the third one and scared it with the other 5 ound:


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## Cornhusker (Mar 20, 2003)

Cabin Fever said:


> $700 plus $30 s&h Must be shipped to FFL.


That's a nice gun CF


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## gunseller (Feb 20, 2010)

I have been hunting yotes and later deer with a handgun for 30 years. Started with a Ruger SBH 3 screw. Always used iron sights. The longest shot I have made is around 200 yards. I do agree most people do not shoot a handgun enough to be good with one. For about 20 years I would shoot 5 to 10 rounds a day every day. Cast my own bullets and loaded my own ammo. Got a friend of mine shooting a 44 SBH and he will not use anything else for any of his hunting. He will do anything he can to get my reloads as he says they are the best ammo he has ever shot. A couple of years ago one of his kids went south to hog hunt with his bow. Jimmy had him take his SBH and a box of my reloads. Kid never shot the SBH but about 6 months later I got my brass back. 
Steve


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