Hunting, Shooting, First Revolver

[frednaz]

I am not a pistol man, I shoot and reload for my rifles. My wife was interested in a pistol, if you can believe that. I bought her a Taurus ultra light model 85 in 38 special. She likes it. She has shot several boxes of ammo through it. I want to buy a pistol to shoot with her. (It's not so easy to shoot a pistol and rifle at the same time) I would like to be able to hunt with the pistol if I'm going to invest the funds in the amount of another rifle. The only other pistol I own is a Ruger 50th Anniversary 22 caliber that I have never fired. It's been stored for 5 or 6 years.

What would you suggest for a guy who's not used to pistols, but would target shoot, and/or hunt with the same revolver ?

 

[only1asterisk]

fred,

Hunt what? Deer, hogs, elk, bear, rabbits, all the above?

If you are going to load your own it doesn't matter much what gun/cartridge you pick. Find one that feels right and learn it. I like DA revolvers with the large frame S&W being a favorite, but the various single actions have their benefits. The 357 Magnum is the break point for deer in my book, anything less should be left to smaller game for the most part.

David

 

[frednaz]

I intend to primarily hunt deer and am thinking that probably the 357 would be the minimum with which to do so. For me, target shooting would be one thing, but hunting would probably require a scope. I no longer see things close. Iron sights are a blurr. Thanks

 

[MCgunner]

I vote 6" .357 revolver. DA if you want it for defense, SA for hunting is my preference due to the strength of SA guns. Of course, I handload and I want a strong gun for hot loads. You can go a long ways and not find a more accurate, stronger handgun than a Blackhawk. An L frame (686 Smith and Wesson) or a Ruger GP100 would be my choices in DA revolvers. The 686 tends to be a very accurate gun. To be honest, I've never fired a GP100, but by all accounts it's a strong, tight gun and should be accurate, too.

I choose the .357 due to the fact that you can fire light loads in .38 and ammo is reasonably priced for it. Of course, there are lighter .41 mag loads available and the .44 Spcl will fire in .44 mag revolvers, but you'll pay more for the privilege per box. the .41 or .44 are better hunting revolvers, but the .357 can kill anything up to deer size just fine with the proper loads. .38 wadcutters are very accurate at the range and very light to shoot, lighter than anything short of a .22. Light recoil is a good thing working your way up the power ladder learning to handle the recoil of the heavier stuff. I went through all that with a .357 Ruger Security Six several decades ago. I appreciated the versatility of that revolver since it was my only large caliber that wasn't cap and ball at the time.

Another advantage of the .357 is they tend to be chambered in lighter, more carry friendly revolvers, if that matters. But, the L frame and GP100 ain't all that light in the caliber. Their weight makes them easy to shoot with heavy loads, though.

 

[ugaarguy]

I'll second the 357 Mag choice. A 6" Smith, Ruger, or Taurus would all be fine choices for the dual role of hunting and target shooting. I worked at a large gun store previously and customers were very happy with wheel guns from all three of those brands. A white outline rear with orange front blade sight set-up might be easier on your eyes. The 38s are cheap to buy, and, others here THR report, even cheaper to load. I've posted elsewhere on this forum that S&W has documented cases of 357 Mags taking animals up to a Bull Walrus in Alaska - these things are huge. No, I don't wanna shoot anything that big with any gun, but it goes to show what the round can do - plenty for deer. Glad to hear your wife likes her new pistol and y'all have fun together at the range when you get your new toy.

 

[only1asterisk]

Although I've taken a couple of deer with my 686, it just doesn't hit with the same authority as the bigger guns. The real benefit to a .357 is the mild, inexpensive 38 special factory ammo available for practice. Since you load your own, downloading a
.41 or .44 Mag for practice should be no problem. For the sake of your learning curve and wallet, you will probably have to load most or all of your practice ammo if you go with the bigger gun. Not a problem if you like reloading and have the time. If you don’t, it could become a pain to get the regular practice you need.

I think a 5” is minimum and longer barrels balance better with an optic. I’ve never put glass on any of my revolvers, so it feels strange to me anyway. Barrels over 7.5” may add a bit of velocity but their primary benefit is sight radius (which is not so important when you use an optic).

You don’t need monster loads to kill a deer, or to see a major benefit over the .357. A moderately heavy for caliber cast bullet with a big flat nose only needs to be moving 1050fps or so to be really effective on deer or hogs. You should be able to become proficient with this level of recoil fairly quickly.


David

 

[critter]

What 'only1asterisk' said! Good advice!

 

[only1asterisk]

Thanks critter!

I grew up killing and eating Arkansas deer around Ouachita, Dallas and Calhoun counties.

David Harris