Why are people skeptical about the idea of hunting with a handgun?

Although I have only killed two deer with a revolver, I have taken 26 with a handgun, mostly Remington XP-100s.
As everyone knows, handguns are not powerful enough nor accurate enough for hunting game larger than rabbits.

I think that most are skeptical because they have never seen how accurate a good hand gunner can be. I have taken 8 or 9 whitetails with a 357 revolver, 1 with a 45LC and 2 with a 7mm TCU Contender. All shots were under 50 yards and no deer were lost. The Contender smacked crows and a coyote out to 150 yards. You have to know your own limitations and those of the gun. I would guess that 75% of the deer that I have taken could have been killed with a handgun. Even with this record I don't consider myself an exceptional shooter. I have shot with shooters who put me to shame.

I have heard arguments against using handguns and every other weapon for deer hunting. Far too many that call themselves hunters are opposed to anything other than their chosen weapons and methods.

Ive come across guys who knock hangun hunting. Theres a difference between using an lcp for elk and shooting deer with a 44 magnum, some dont see a real difference. Same people dont realize 44 magnum is quite a bit more powerful than a 223 rem, although the trajectory is considerably steeper.
Im eyeing a 500 jrh bfr for future hunting, just have to clear it with my better 7/8ths.

For a long time s handgun was a great option in the < shotgun/handgun/muzzleloader only> states.
I much preferred my handgun over foster slugs and bead sights.
Along came rifled barrels, scope mounts, and sabot slugs for shotguns,and leveled the field again.
I really miss our "handgun only" late season.

Never been big into handguns. However, have hunted small game and pests a fair amount at different times. Also carried when I used to trap. Was it as good as a rifle ? Of course not. Within my limitations ,not the revolvers, it was adequate for small game and things up to coons. On squirrels and rabbits i was out of of my league at 40 or 50 feet. I think the big issue is that a lot of people don't understand that once you put a sufficient size hole through the vitals that is all that needs to be done. I shot one deer with a 44 mag and it definitely did the job. Those that say a handgun is insufficient are the ones that think you have to pull big draw weight on a bow. The wife shoots all the way through deer out to 40 yards at 30 lbs. She has heard a lot of crap about that not being enough. Generally from less than knowledgeable individuals.

The naysayers are usually rifle hunters who've been drinking the kinetic energy Kool Aid for so long, their minds are completely closed to anything else.

Heir Kommt Die Sonne said:

A .357 Magnum is a perfectly capable tool of putting an animal as large as a deer on your table. Yet these same people justify using a .22 for Elk.

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Well I know people that don't think all handguns in the .357 Magnum chambering are suitable for hunting of white tailed deer. Since the above statement follows .357 Magnum use in a handgun, it appears you're claiming those objecting to .357 from a handgun advocate FOR a .22 LR to harvest elk? Perhaps that's hyperbole??

I've NEVER heard anybody say a .22 LR was a good choice for elk, and only know of one person who would say a .224 bullet would be alright for elk. That same person would limit the shot to the base of the skull, from behind, where it meets the spine and a heavy bullet of at least 80 grains. But the majority of sportsmen, NOPE.

Where I live the minimum ft-lbs. of the cartridge fired from a handgun, and used for deer must be 700 ft=lbs., and the handgun cannot be less than .357 caliber and, the handgun must have at least a 6" barrel. I looked and out of 31 different flavors of .357 Magnum ammunition, only three met the criteria, and YES I agree with the criteria on ft-lbs. for hunting. Two of the three were 180 grain, and the third was a 200 grain bullet. None of the most common, the 158 grain offerings, were rated above 700 ft.-lbs.

Handloaders, of course, can adjust loads for just the right burn rate and bullet weight to get the most out of a cartridge and thus, a lot of the handgun hunter that I know are avid cartridge reloaders.

So you might find that the majority of loads out there, while they might work very well in a rifle (in my state the ft-lbs. must be 1200 for a modern rifle cartridge on deer), they lose so much with the gap from the chamber to the barrel and due to the short barrel (compared to a rifle) that the .357 magnum really isn't well suited in most cases to harvesting deer. For example a 158 grain bullet needs a MV of 1420 to be over the 1200 ft.-lbs. mark if using rifle. Possible in a rifle for sure.

LD

Loyalist Dave said:

the .357 magnum really isn't well suited in most cases to harvesting deer. For example a 158 grain bullet needs a MV of 1420 to be over the 1200 ft.-lbs. mark if using rifle. Possible in a rifle for sure.

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And possible in a handgun too. In a 10" T/C Contender a 180 gr. bullet can easily reach well over 1500 fps without overloading it. Speer Manual #12 lists a W-W 296 load of 15.9 gr. for a velocity of 1573 fps.

Patocazador said:

And possible in a handgun too. In a 10" T/C Contender a 180 gr. bullet can easily reach well over 1500 fps without overloading it. Speer Manual #12 lists a W-W 296 load of 15.9 gr. for a velocity of 1573 fps.

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Even in a 6" Ruger GP100 I get 1250 with the 180gr XTP. I have had one deer go over 30 yards after it was hit and I took it too far back in the liver. When I saw dark blood I waited about 4 hours before I took up the blood trail. The buck was about 100-120 yards from where I had shot it.

My fave handgun tool for hunting is a .30-30 Contender, but I hunt with a 6.5" Blackhawk occasionally and a .45 Colt Blackhawk. Only killed one pig, though, while revolver hunting with the .357.

Now, what I'd ask any ignoramous who critiqued my .357 is how they feel about bow hunting. I use a crossbow, myself due to eye dominance problems.

In MI, in the shotgun zones, I used a handgun to hunt after I had taken a deer already with the rifled slug gun. It was not as important to get 'any' deer at that point so I was OK with the reduced range (not that a handgun is less accurate inherently but rather my shooting of it). Did the same thing with my muzzleloader, which had longer range than the shotgun.

Even still, the majority of all game I have taken would have been within range for me to make a clean kill with the handgun. The gun was a Taurus Tracker in .44 Mag. Used open sights.

I am considering for next season to make the handgun my primary hunting weapon. I have been shooting handguns of all kinds a lot more lately and it has rejuvenated my enthusiasm for them. I don't currently possess a proper hunting handgun though I do have a few that would kill deer and pigs if was within 15-20 yds. Probably go with the old reliable .44 Mag though I would not pass up a deal on a .454 Casull single action or a .460 XVR. I do know that would not be required for the game I shoot but I like the cartridges based on a little research.

Never been chastised or questioned why by anyone when they find out I hunt deer with a revolver as my primary weapon during gun season. Actually just the opposite. Most are impressed that I enjoy the challenge of hunting deer with a handgun when it's much easier to be successful with a rifle. But, then folks I hang around with, realize that to some, the hunt is more important than what you go home with in the back of your truck.

I think alot of people who are nay sayers about handgun hunting are simply miss informed . They just not have been properly educated on the subject.

A perfect example is one of the closest people to me, my younger brother. We've been mainly rifle hunters our entire lives, but are getting more and more into handguns since we got our permits two years ago.

Last year my brother had a terrible fishing accident and is now blind in his right eye. So he can't shoot right handed anymore. He mostly had Big Boomer of rifles that were way over kill for deer, such as 45-70,300 win mag , and 300 RCM . He's since sold off the bigger guns because he's worried the recoil will further damage his his eye. He decided that handgun hunting is his best bet until he can adapt to shooting lefty. He has a 44 mag SBH and knew it was a pretty effective gun, yet was still a little hesitent .I don't think he knew of it's true potential. I would tell him some stuff I had learned and he would not his head like oh ok, that's cool and that was the end of it.

After his accident, not being able to hunt with a rifle was REALLY bumming him out . Even with telling him how effective his 44 can be he still wasn't super enthused about it. I figured the best thing to do was educate him further and help his confidence.

So the first thing I did was let him Barrow my copy Gun Digest Book of hunting revolvers by @MaxP . He read it a while he was on the mend. Honestly it really opened his eyes to what a handgun is capable of. Now he has much more confidence in what his 44 can really do with the right medicine.

Next I ordered him a custom set of grips from bearpaw grips. When he was finally healed up enough to shoot, he gave them a try. The results were fantastic , his groups were great , he couldn't believe how much better he controlled the recoil, and how much more comfortable the gun was to shoot.

Although he was not able to take a deer this year he did bag a coyote with a shot to the back of the head at 25 yards. So he's making great steps!

With the funds from selling his 3 rifles he picked up used a target grey super Redhawk with a scope in 454 flavor. He hasn't been out to shoot it yet . But we are really looking forward to shooting this year and getting ready for the season. I'm glad he's taken to handguns and now we motivate each other to get further into it, I couldn't ask for a better person to take this journey with.

After all that I have to admit I am certainly not an expert. I am the exact opposite of an expert. I'm a novice/ rookie, whatever you want to call it. I don't have much first hand experience and most of my information is from the forum and books. You can't be a rocket scientist with getting an education first though, right? Anyways , when you read and see evidence of how handguns can perform on game time and time again it's hard to deny it's effectiveness. I look forward to finally contributing real world information and results in the future as my skills improve and I get more time in the woods with my revolvers. Hell my rifle my just stay in the safe this season.

So my point of this long winded post is, sometimes people just need a little education and encouragement on handgun hunting to change their perspective.

"Those who can, do. Those who can't, criticize."

While I haven’t hunted with any of them yet I’ve received the flak concerning .44/.45 cal black powder revolvers.

Initially it was due to misinformed people claiming they aren’t much more powerful than a .38 Spl and are therefor inhumane at best. And this is somewhat true depending on the powder used as well as the projectile. However with an energetic powder and a bullet these guns can easily achieve .45 ACP/.45 Colt performance, and with my Ruger Old Army I can get better than that, and with a stock cylinder. There is a drop-in replacement that holds 5-10 additional grains which would further increase the performance (or one can deepen their chambers).

But even the lowly 144 grn ball can achieve sufficient performance capable of complete passthroughs on a broadside deer. But I chose a wide meplat custom bullet as this creates a larger permanent wound channel and excellent penetration.

It's just ignorance. As far as choosing a particular style of hunting, or the equipment used, as long as its legal, and you and your gear are up to the task, I say do it, if you want to. A naysayer can come up with a reason not to do anything. Examples: archery is bad due to higher likelihood of loss of the animal, guns in general are bad because it's an unfair advantage, Long range (whatever your definition of long range is) is bad, because shooting an animal from so far away isn't sporting and you may screw it up, short range (whatever that means) is bad because you are too close, which is also unsporting, x gun is bad because it's not enough power, bait is unfair, and so on. I quit worrying about the definitions of others a long time ago, and I do what I want, in compliance with the law and within my abilities and the abilities of my gear. I also don't worry about what others are doing. Chasing deer with dogs is normal and legal here. Not my thing, I prefer hunting in a ladder stand or ground blind over a food plot or a feeder- but I don't judge those who want to chase dogs chasing deer. Just keep your pack of hounds away from me and let's all do our own thing in our own woods.

There are so many things in the world you can't fix. This is one of them, but not a very important one.

Good post Bones,,,,"I think alot of people who are nay sayers about handgun hunting are simply miss informed . They just not have been properly educated on the subject."

I have hunted for over 10 years with a .454 Casull. (260Gr @ 1600 FPS) The guys at the hunting club had a lot of doubt until I shot three hogs in the face at 100 yards back to back. (And then I had to mix me a bourbon and water to celebrate) Hahahaha

The more you shoot the BIG revolvers,,, the better you get,,,,so keep shooting!!!

Hell, I found out two deer hunting coworkers of some experience (like 20 yrs each) have never shot a deer past 50 yards........with long guns.

Mention handgun hunting to them, and they stare at you like a deer in the headlights.

My current deer spot isn't very good.
Can't afford to play around.
Not enough does to pop should cuz and I buck out.

When PCR became legal lots of folks dumped their .44 mag revolvers and went .44 rifle.
Lots of used rigs at good prices...........for a while LOL.

Thought about a 10mm Ruger 1911.
Or a .357 mag bbl for my Contender.
Maybe even a Super Redhawk .44 mag.

If my place gets sold I could run a handgun on public land.
My prob is arthritis.
So can't do the boomers like I used to.
Can, but only limited amount. And that aint no fun.

I love handgun hunting. I have often found myself in opportune situations where it is far easier to draw aim and fire than it is to set down whatever is in my hands, unsling a rifle, chamber a round, and then take a shot at an animal which is likely far closer than is optimal for a rifle shot. It has come to a point where now, I hunt from a blind with the rifle (if I even bring one) barrel hanging out the left window towards the longest shot I might take, and a handgun in my lap for a closer shot on the approach trails. I have been successful with intentional handgun hunts, and I have repeatedly been successful with rifle hunts where a sidearm came into play due to circumstances which I may have allowed to happen just to have the handgun opportunity.

My first, at 16yrs old, a basket rack spindly 6 pt came and woke me up at 15 yards while I lay asleep under my stand in a gentle warm rain. Taurus 689, 6” .357, one round through the heart and the deer fell after trotting 30 yards. People made fun of the deer, and pointed out that a “real buck” wouldn’t have been so easy to kill. Phooey.

Then I got a contender. 44 mag from a single shot pistol with a long barrel gives a reloader a whole lot of room to play. Killed a couple does with it, got a 7-30 waters barrel and killed a couple more. People said it wasn’t really handgun hunting since it wasn’t a traditional handgun but a purpose built handgun-rifle-thingamajig.

Then I traded into a Taurus m44 which was nice but too flashy (mirror polished stainless) that got used by a kid I took hunting after he forgot a box of shells. Kid was a hellacious shot with my very similar .357 so why not. People said kid got lucky.

Then came the Delta Elite. I bought it on a whim used for a fair price. I shot it a bit and t was a natural point of aim. Reloaded a few Berry’s truncated cones and strapped it on one morning to go sit in the woods and battle the flu in a more pleasant place. 120 inch whitetail was a jerk and chased away all the little bucks I was enjoying watching, then belly crawled through the pine thicket I was sitting in at 7 yards. 3 quick shots into the chest as he passed me, all in prime location for heart or lungs. He staggered to 80 yards before falling over.

There are a bunch of other stories about the 9” single six and squirrels and rabbits. But I guess I just keep getting lucky and/or cheating by using purpose built equipment.

I’ve been a dedicated handgun hunter for the last 20+ years. I’ve taken several deer and even a small black bear.

My hunting handguns are a non-scoped Ruger Super Blackhawk 7.5” revolver in .44 Magnum, a scoped Ruger Super Redhawk 9.5” also in .44 Magnum, a scoped T/C Contender 14” in .44 Magnum and my favorite, a scoped T/C Contender 14” in 7-30 Waters.

I’ve never had anyone say anything negative to me, but I have had people eyes opened at the range when they seen my targets, compared to some shooting with rifles.

While I don’t foresee myself hunting with a rifle anytime soon, I do have a few WWII milsurp rifles that I want to hunt with......someday.

It does make you feel good knowing that you can hit a baseball at 100 yards with a handgun,,,,ya know