Does anyone still hunt with a handgun?

[Hnthrdr]

These photos are all from a long time ago. I should have at least a doe to add this year.

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My dude?! You killed that bull with a snubby?! Do tell!!!

 

[pacoalcracker]

I hunted with handguns for 20 years. Gary Reeder got me into it. He builds some fine hunting handguns and is one of the best in the world at building them and hunting with them. Had around 80 of them in mostly custom revolvers and custom TC Contenders and Encores in a wide range of standard and wildcat cartridges from 22 K-Hornet to 500 S&W and many were wildcat bottlenecked cartridges. Gary Reeder built most of these. Sadly, I am in the process of downsizing everything as I get older and sold most of them this year. I did keep the custom shop Colt Anaconda Real-Tree 44 mag revolver w/scope and a Freedom Arms 83 Premier Grade revolver in 475 Linebaugh w/ 6" octagon barrel and custom grips and just one Reeder custom revolver in 410GNR (454 Casull case necked down to 41 caliber). My son shot a lot of game with that Colt and I with that 410GNR, including several plains game animals in South Africa. Several other SA plains game animals were taken with a Reeder custom TC Encore w/ a heavy 15" barreled 378GNR (405 Winchester necked to 375 caliber using 260gr Accubonds @ 2750fps. Longest shot was 260 yards on a Kudu and I'm looking at him on my wall as I type this. I still love hunting with a handgun though...it gets in your blood. Working up and testing out the loads for the handguns is just so enjoyable and about 80% of what I shot I handloaded. If you have not tried handgun hunting you are missing out. As for what works for most people a 44mag is a great start, but so is a 41mag. To me, they are equals especially if you are loading that 41 full throttle with 250gr hardcast.

 

[BAKPAKR]

My dude?! You killed that bull with a snubby?! Do tell!!!

I have had three 3” 629s over the years. At one time, I shot them pretty well. I bugled that bull into about 25 yards.

 

[K9kodi]

That’s amazing

 

[Chris in TN]

I shot a doe once with a Ruger Bisley Blackhawk in .45 Colt. I've shot various other things with pistols over the years, mostly varmints and squirrels and one rabbit, with .357 Magnum and .45ACP and .22lr.

Between aging into reading glasses and having my right eye vision degraded during hyperbaric oxygen treatment, I have lost the ability to focus well enough to be accurate with handguns, and I really struggle with open-sighted rifles. I am considering eye surgery to 'fix' that issue.

 

[Jpsmith1]

I shot a doe once with a Ruger Bisley Blackhawk in .45 Colt. I've shot various other things with pistols over the years, mostly varmints and squirrels and one rabbit, with .357 Magnum and .45ACP and .22lr.

Between aging into reading glasses and having my right eye vision degraded during hyperbaric oxygen treatment, I have lost the ability to focus well enough to be accurate with handguns, and I really struggle with open-sighted rifles. I am considering eye surgery to 'fix' that issue.

Have you looked into red dot optics?

 

[Hnthrdr]

I have had three 3” 629s over the years. At one time, I shot them pretty well. I bugled that bull into about 25 yards.

That’s incredible woodsmanship and shooting ability, very cool!

 

[Chris in TN]

Have you looked into red dot optics?

Not in a hunting context. I’ve considered it. I’ll still bring the Bisley a few times per season when I’m squirrel hunting on public land during deer season in case one walks up (which has happened to me before - my squirrel hunts are also deer scouting and vice-versa).

Killing the doe that one time largely scratched the itch. I don’t have the places to hunt that I had years ago and nowadays I’m much more interested in maximizing opportunities. Rifles are simply more efficient.

ETA: in good light I can still shoot decently with rifle peep sights but handgun precision past maybe 25 yards, is history for me.

 

[go_deep]

Once it snowed back in Wisconsin I would walk standing corn fields cross rows and look for bedded deer. It worked well, shots were generally sub 25 yards.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Not in a hunting context. I’ve considered it. I’ll still bring the Bisley a few times per season when I’m squirrel hunting on public land during deer season in case one walks up (which has happened to me before - my squirrel hunts are also deer scouting and vice-versa).

Killing the doe that one time largely scratched the itch. I don’t have the places to hunt that I had years ago and nowadays I’m much more interested in maximizing opportunities. Rifles are simply more efficient.

ETA: in good light I can still shoot decently with rifle peep sights but handgun precision past maybe 25 yards, is history for me.

I am looking to 'blood; my 45 Bisley this fall. I had a mount installed to accept a red dot in place of the read sight and I love it. I just have regular "old man eyes" at 50 and I'm struggling with irons. The dot sights have been life changing with a handgun

 

[KenLee]

I've gotten an 8 with my 629 44mag and a doe with my Contender 7-30 Waters. Definitely fun to hunt with and I need to make a better effort to carry them more.

Contender pistol in 7-30 Waters reaches out there well using 120gr SGK. Think I have 5 barrels suitable for deer, but the Waters is my favorite.

 

[Chris in TN]

I am looking to 'blood; my 45 Bisley this fall. I had a mount installed to accept a red dot in place of the read sight and I love it. I just have regular "old man eyes" at 50 and I'm struggling with irons. The dot sights have been life changing with a handgun

Dots are awesome but in the places I hunt now the majority of my legitimate handgun opportunities happen during bow season (I shot a doe with bow and arrow in 2024, still enjoy that) or not at all.


I’ll say this: as hunters we go through seasons of opportunity. Embrace them when they happen. If you have a place to handgun hunt where it makes sense and you want to do it, embrace it. That window will likely close.

 

[insanelupus]

Yes. I enjoy hunting rainy days with a handgun and these days, typically limit shots to 25 yards off-hand while still hunting. Challenging, but very fulfilling when successful, which isn't super often! Lol.

 

[Macintosh]

I like the idea of it, but have limited opportunity where it makes good sense and none of the guns I own are really appropriate. Just hasnt been a priority. Some day.

 

[EdP]

I competed in IHMSA silhouette back in the '80s and still have my pistols. I've been wanting to use them deer hunting for years and finally started last year. Took a doe with my Contender .357 Max, 10" last year. Put a scope on my .44 Dan Wesson revolver many years ago and hope to take a doe with it this year.

Well, it happened yesterday afternoon. Had a doe come into range of the Dan Wesson after teasing me at rifle range for 10+ minutes. My patience was rewarded with a 40 yd shot opportunity.

The Hornady 240 gr hollow point blew right through her with no sign of expansion, to my surprise. I thought it would at least knock her down. It didn't matter, her lungs were gone and I watcher her drop within 50 yds of the shot.