Any Handgun Hunter on here?

[Rupe]

I'm a handgun hunter, I carry a Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter in .44mag with a 4X scope mounted on it. I just got this one this year and have not hunted with it yet, so I'm looking forward to it. I have taken a 325lbs Blackbear, small Buck deer, and a Badger with a handgun so far. For those that haven't tried it, it is a great way to hunt. Sort of like half way between a rifle and bow hunting. Although some of the specialty pistols can reach way outthere and get something.
So anyway was wondering if there are any other handgun hunters here? rupe

[02tacotoy]

Not a hunter myself, but I can attest that Rugers do make fine firearms I have 2 P94d series in 9m and .40 cal.

[Rupe]

Not a hunter myself, but I can attest that Rugers do make fine firearms I have 2 P94d series in 9m and .40 cal.

For the money you get alot of gun. I personally love Rugers and have had several over the years. The only ones that I had problems with was the ones that I broke because of shooting to many hot rounds threw them and any gun would break when you are shooting with max. handloads all the time. But even then I got alot of rounds threw it before it broke and then it wasn't anything major.

[KevinNY]

I've hunted with my T/C Contender and taken 2 deer with it, both at around 150 yards. One button buck with a 6.5JDJ barrel and a burris variable and a nice fat 7 point with a 358JDJ barrel and a 2x leupold. I also have a SS Blackhawk with a 4 5/8" barrel in 45 Colt that I have had the trigger worked and forcing cones reamed and polished on. I have yet to get a chance with it so far.

[Rupe]

Hey Kevin, Congrates on the two deer. Have you checked out www.handgunhunter.com yet? Great site for handgun hunters. There are alot of T/C hunters and shooters over there.
My deer was only about 15 yds. as well as the Badger, The Black Bear was at 80yrds and I took him with a SBH .454 with a reddot. I tend to brag about him alot. He is fully mounted standing on his back legs in my living room. rupe

[KevinNY]

I've curtailed my range time in the last few years, I used to be obsessive about it. I'd still like to take something with the wheelgun though and a bear hunt would be ideal, congrats on your bear. If I can get back to Africa in the next few years I'd like to bring it along to stalk warthogs, they are great fun.

[Photog]

I grew up hunting with all kinds of equipment.

As for handguns; my dad & I used to hunt jackrabbits with Dan Wesson .357's. We used these same pistols for silhouette competitions, so 100 yrd hits on the Jacks were not uncommon. I never did use it for big game hunting.

I recently purchased a T/C .357, with a Leupold scope; but have not had a chance to take it hunting yet.

Handgun hunters are a fairly small group or folks. Nice to see others on this forum.

[Rupe]

Africa! I will only make it there in my dreams. LOL
I love handgun hunting and have given up center fire rifles, black powder, and bow for it.
I am hooked on the revolvers, but would like to try a T/C or one of the other single shots out there. Photog, I think you would really enjoy hunting with the handgun, you really need to try big game with it.
I'm also glad to see other handgun hunters on here too! rupe

[KevinNY]

Africa is cheaper than you think, much less than Alaska or even a good elk hunt.

[maximumrob]

I'm a hunter, but a piss-poor killer :( Guess that makes me a guy who just goes for walks in the woods with a gun.

Oh well, it gets me outside. :)



EDIT - Forgot to add that I have a 7.5" stainless Ruger Redhawk and love shooting .44 SPL's through it. It's strong enough to load to 105% or more and I don't worry about blowing it up!


.

[Rupe]

That last few times I've gone hunting that's what my season was too. I guess that's why they call it "HUNTING" ! LOL The last thing I shot was a Cottontail with my .38 2" 5 shot.:gunt: Tasted pretty good though.

Africa- I'm having a hard enough time trying to fix up my JK. Who knows, maybe someday I'll get to go to the land of the Tall Grass. I sure would like to. I want to go after a Cape Buffalo, Impala, Oryox, Warthog, Tommy, Hartibeast, and a Kudo. (Spelling on these are not quit right I'm sure)
I think the Cape Buffalo would be the main animal and would like a trophy sized one.with the others as just a good animal to take.
Lets hear about your trip over there. If you want you can just PM me if you don't want to put it all out here. Love hearing African hunting stories.
rupe

[KevinNY]

You will need to start doing some research on the different animals and their ranges. For instance, a tommie, or thompsons gazelle, is limited to certain areas on Tanzania and only available on a longer hunts liscense. A hunt in South Africa with Greater Kudu, impala, gemsbok, warthog and wildebeest can be done for under 10k. Buffalo is more expensive but relatively cheap in Zimbabwe, expensive but better hunting in Tanzania but less plains game opportunity.

[Rupe]

Yes, I've been doing alittle research over the past few years. Having to save up even 10 G's is hard to do when your on a fixed income. I'm having a hard enough time just trying to save enough for lower gears for my Jeep. :(
Plus trying to buy some property out in the middle of no where. So it's going to be along time before I will ever get there if at all. rupe

[robertdarin]

i do not hunt with my ruger security six .357 mag alone but i do carry it with my 30/30. never killed any deer with it but give me time. i am only good enough with the .357 and iron sights out to about 60 yards.

[Rupe]

i do not hunt with my ruger security six .357 mag alone but i do carry it with my 30/30. never killed any deer with it but give me time. i am only good enough with the .357 and iron sights out to about 60 yards.

Hey robertdarin that is plenty far enough with a .357 to take a deer. I think that is going to be pretty much the limit for a good clean kill with iron sights and a ..357.
The hardest think when I first started handgun hunting was leaving my rifle at home. Once I did and got a deer then I relized that I had the skills and that I didn't need the security of my rifle.

[silvergrand]

Hey Rupe,

I took the largest whitetail of my hunting career to date with a handgun. 10 yards, 44 Mag, one shot with a Winchester Black Talon ran 20 yards fell over dead! 13 point, 148 class (after deductions), 225lbs field dressed. He was a huge Indiana whitetail.

I now use a Savage Stryker handgun for deer and predators in Indiana. Long Bow is used during archery for deer.

[KevinNY]

You guys are inspiring me to take the Blackhawk for a walk in the woods soon.

[Rupe]

Congrates:clapsmile nice deer. Did you have it mounted? any pics. of it? I'm afraid the hunting Gods have decided that a forked horn is the biggest Buck I am ever going to get. LOL Out of all the deer I have shot, they have been forked horns except for the spikes that we get to shoot during anterless controlled hunts.

[Rupe]

You guys are inspiring me to take the Blackhawk for a walk in the woods soon.

Kevin you need to give it a try. It's great huntingi with a handgun. It's nice to just have it in a holster as your climbing hand over hand up hills. It's out of the way and light in the hands. Most deer are taken under a hundred yards any way so you might has well use your handgun. The only rifles I have now is an old 30/30, .22 Marlin,a 12ga., and a WWII Marine training rifle that is a .22lr. Almost all my hunting is with a handgun. I will use the .22 for squirrels just because I don't have a .22 handgun at the moment.
Go for that walk in the woods with nothing but your handgun.:gunt:

[Clark White]

I've hunted Squirl, Rabbit, and Javalina with hand gun. First two with a Ruger .22 wheel gun, and the pig (I know, Javalina isn't really a pig, but they sure look like it so the name stuck :shakin: ) with a Colt .45 1911. I really can't say which I enjoy more, rifle or hand gun. Unfortunantly I really havn't had the chance to do much of either, but really I just mostly enjoy the hunt, regardless of what I have in my hand (including a camera if it's not hunting season). Hoping that I can swing some deer hunting this winter, probably with my Winchester Model 94 30/30.

Clark

[KevinNY]

Kevin you need to give it a try. It's great huntingi with a handgun. It's nice to just have it in a holster as your climbing hand over hand up hills. It's out of the way and light in the hands. Most deer are taken under a hundred yards any way so you might has well use your handgun. The only rifles I have now is an old 30/30, .22 Marlin,a 12ga., and a WWII Marine training rifle that is a .22lr. Almost all my hunting is with a handgun. I will use the .22 for squirrels just because I don't have a .22 handgun at the moment.
Go for that walk in the woods with nothing but your handgun.:gunt:

As I posted earlier I've done it before but with the T/C. Never with just the sixgun. The 4 5/8" Blackhawk in a cross draw holster is like carying nothing at all.

[silvergrand]

Lets see if I can post my photos. Sorry about the size of the first shot!

http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o330/ssorrell_2008/Hunting/TrophyMounts004.jpg

http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o330/ssorrell_2008/Hunting/TrophyMounts001.jpg

[Rupe]

Nice pics. Thanks for sharing!

[Rupe]

As I posted earlier I've done it before but with the T/C. Never with just the sixgun. The 4 5/8" Blackhawk in a cross draw holster is like carying nothing at all.

Sorry Kevin got mixed up. Forgot you had used your T/C.
Even when I had my big SBH in .454 with a reddot was better then carrying an Eight lbs. rifle.

[FshTaco99]

I carry my Sig P229 when I bow hunt in case I have to put one in the side. I have a friend who lives to pistol hunt. I just never got into it between the bow and waterfowl.

[KevinNY]

That's an incredible buck Silvergrand, you should be proud to have taken him after seeing that rack and still being able to hold steady. I'll have to get the one pic of my (much smaller) 7 pointer scanned in.

[65Dormie]

The Super Blackhawk in 44 Magnum is an excellent choice. I have carried an old three screw SBH since 1965. Have several molds for low cost practice loads.

PD

[KevinNY]

Cast bullets are not just for cheap practice, they are all I shoot in the 45 Colt. The local Pep Boys gave me buckets of wheel weights when I asked them, all for free. Add a little tin solder, drop them in water from the mold, and you have perfect hunting bullets.

[Rupe]

After seeing the distruction I saw after shooting a small buck with a 300gr cast bullet, I really like them for hunting. And going up against a big Bear they would be a good bullet to use. It was a little over kill on the buck and a lighter 240gr. partition bullet would have been just as good. I plan on using 300gr. hard cast on Elk with my .44mag SBH Hunter.

[XL Bar]

I have taken two mule deer bucks with my Smith and Wesson .44 Mag. Mountain Gun. 4" barrel iron sights. I used a 300 gr. hard cast LBT WFN style bullet cast from water quenched wheelweights/Linotype alloy. Hodgdon H-110 powder Winchester brass Federal primers. Performance was excellent. Buck number 1 was hit in the left hip at 75 yards and the bullet exited the right shoulder. Buck number 2 was hit through the front shoulders at 95 yards with full penetration.

Definitely very exciting to go out with "just" a handgun on one's hip.

Brian

[silvergrand]

KevinNY...I had to stop looking at the rack to steady my shot. Of course the shot was taken under 20 yards (Winchester Black Talon).

[65Dormie]

Cast bullets are not just for cheap practice, they are all I shoot in the 45 Colt. The local Pep Boys gave me buckets of wheel weights when I asked them, all for free. Add a little tin solder, drop them in water from the mold, and you have perfect hunting bullets.

My .45 Colt has only seen cast bullets. I have had good luck with the Lee 255 grain traditional shape with a slightly larger meplat. Eight grains of Unique works well (but is dirty). New load, as yet untried, is 6.5 grains of HP-38. No luck with HS-6.

Paul

[Rupe]

Cast bullets are not just for cheap practice, they are all I shoot in the 45 Colt. The local Pep Boys gave me buckets of wheel weights when I asked them, all for free. Add a little tin solder, drop them in water from the mold, and you have perfect hunting bullets.

What was the ratio weight of wheel weight weight to tin weight that you used in casting your bullets?

XL Bar- Good job, congrates on the Two bucks!

rupe

[Gone2Baja]

I have a super red hawk .44mag and a S&W .41 mag, have been out 4 years in a row and seen plenty of game and killed lots of dirt! Damn pigs just won't stand sill!!

[FreeManDan]

http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalog/index.php?cPath=35

I don’t hunt, but this company’s ammo is well suited for it. I have been nothing but satisfied with their 10mm, .357sig, and 9mm +p.:costumed-smiley-007

[KevinNY]

I was looking for something else and came across this pic of my best handgun buck with my .358 JDJ Contender. It is a picture of a picture but you get the idea.