Revolver caliber for whitetail deer and hog.

[Gun Geezer]

I am considering whitetail and hog hunting with a revolver. I have not settled on the make and model, but am interested in beginning my search with a decison on caliber.

Again, I only intend to hunt deer and hog with it. Max range for me would be 150 yards. 100 yards is more realistic. I'll need to mount a scope to shoot that far, but that's my intent.

What is the best caliber for such hunting? Will the venerable 44 Mag do the job or is something more beastly called for?

 

[Derry 1946]

I've heard 32-20 (a rifle round) was used in revolvers for hunting back in the day. They say it didn't tear up the animal too badly. I've got a 32-20 revolver, and it shoots great, but never tried it out for hunting. Good luck!

 

[Snowbandit]

Either the .41 or .44 Magnum would be fine for your stated purpose. The 41 is a bit flatter shooting and the 44 has a bit more power. Advantage goes to the 44 when the price of ammo is factored in.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Several will work fine. Personally I would go with .44 magnum if you do not handload. If you do handload, I love the .45 Colt. Either will do out to 100 with practice and the right loads.

Make and model would depend on your budget. For a moderate budget, Ruger Blackhawk or Super Blackhawk.
If your budget is larger, Freedom Arms all the way. I would love to have one.
Of course, I love the single actions. The Redhawks and Super Redhawks aint too shabby either.

 

[CraigC]

IMHO, deer/hog cartridges begin at the .41Mag and it is a fine choice. The .44Mag and .45Colt will also get the job done with aplomb.

Since you're first starting out, your maximum effective range is not 150yds or 100yds, not even close. Your shooting will tell you how far you should take a shot on game. Handgun hunting is not something that can be taken lightly. It takes a lot of dedication and practice to be proficient enough with a sixgun to be able to hunt with it. Several thousand rounds a year are in order. Your maximum range is the range at which you can place all your shots on a paper plate and it will take some time before you can do that at 50yds. Difficulty increases exponentially as range increases.

 

[MCgunner]

Deer/hog is .357 and up. I've used .357 on several hogs and deer successfully. Keep the range 60 yards and in and use a heavy bullet hot load like Buffalo Bore. I handload a 180 grain bullet to 1400 fps. Only thing a .41 or .44 will give you is more effective range. Heck, I shoot a .30-30 Contender with a Nosler 150 BT at 2050 fps when I want range, good to 200 yards and more accurate than a lot of rifles.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=629617

Oh, and my grandpa taught me to always shoot from a rest. You get no points for style shooting off hand. There are plenty of good monopods on the market if you're hunting on foot.

 

[336A]

Advantage goes to the 44 when the price of ammo is factored in.

That is total horse pucky, the .41 is actually cheaper than the .44 magnum.

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http://www.midwayusa.com/product/74...agnum-300-grain-castcore-flat-point-box-of-20

 

[CraigC]

IMHO, the .357 is best left to season handgun hunters who have the patience to pick and choose their shots. Yes, they're used successfully every year but even the best consider them to be bare minimum. If you're buying a sixgun for the purpose of hunting deer and hogs, get a .41 or bigger.

 

[Deaf Smith]

Either the .41 or .44 Magnum would be fine for your stated purpose. The 41 is a bit flatter shooting and the 44 has a bit more power. Advantage goes to the 44 when the price of ammo is factored in.

Yea, just get a good .41 or .44. Do fine. Nothing fancy needed.

Deaf

 

[GP100man]

As the range gets longer & the game bigger , more power is needed.

Most of all shot placement is very critical , even with a 500.

Practice ,practice & practice !!!!!

Then shoot some more !!!!

 

[USSR]

IMHO, the .357 is best left to season handgun hunters who have the patience to pick and choose their shots. Yes, they're used successfully every year but even the best consider them to be bare minimum.

+1. I took 2 deer with a .357 before finally moving up to the .45 Colt. After shooting a deer with the .45 Colt, no way I would go back to the .357.

Don

 

[22-rimfire]

41 Mag or larger.... My choice would be my SRH in 480 Ruger since it is already scoped and I can shoot okay with it. Yes, it makes for a bigger a-plop.

 

[MCgunner]

+1. I took 2 deer with a .357 before finally moving up to the .45 Colt. After shooting a deer with the .45 Colt, no way I would go back to the .357.

So, they died deader with the .45, eh? I have a .45 Colt, a 4 5/8" stainless Blackhawk and it's very accurate with a 300 grain hornady XTP at 1120 fps or a 255 cast Lee flat nose at 950 fps, but have only shot hogs in the trap with it. I've done that with about all my guns, though, even a .22 mini revolver (head shots). The .45 Colt is great with a good handload or Buffalo Bore, but a beginner will DEFINITELY find .44 magnum cheaper and on the shelf at most box stores and LGSs. I kinda prefer the .45 myself, but I handload it. If one wants to practice enough to get good, one does not want to have to pay out the nose for the ammo unless, I guess, you're rich.

It don't take artillery to kill deer. Hell, many have been felled by the likes of the .44-40 and .38-40 before Alfred Nobel's inventions came along. I'd NEVER buy an X frame for deer. My .357 carbine is lighter and more compact. Hell, my 7mm Remington Magnum ain't a whole lot heavier. I say that, then I use a Contender in .30-30, so go figure, ROFL. But, I don't think a beginner needs something like an X frame.

 

[bikemutt]

I've been thinking about a pig hunt this year, would my 29-2, 8-3/8" do the trick? I've not looked into scoping it, is that possible and practical?

 

[Chillaxin]

@ Bikemutt. The 29-2 will do the job, no problem.

I currently hunt with a 629 and or a 29-2 if I'm toting the 44

I'm having a blast with my BFR 475 as well. They don't run off for some reason.........

C-

 

[MCgunner]

I've been thinking about a pig hunt this year, would my 29-2, 8-3/8" do the trick? I've not looked into scoping it, is that possible and practical?

Hell, I'd not bother with a scope. It IS possible, probably B Square, but I wouldn't bother if you shoot the gun well with irons. Just take some paper plates to the range and see what ranges you can hit 'em at from whatever field support you're going to use and limit yourself to the maximum range where you get consistent hits. I've got a scope on my .30-30 contender, but I've never scoped a revolver. I prefer single shot pistols if I'm going to stretch ranges.

Pigs, at least around here, are normally not taken in open country or much past 50 yards or so. Much of it is heavy cover. However, if you plan on night hunting 'em (done all the time here), of course the scope, and with a BIG objective, would be the only way. I've always used a rifle for night hunting, myself, for that reason. I have a spotlight that clamps on a scope. Most pistol scopes aren't real good in low light.

 

[JHenry]

A personal obsession of mine is the BFR in 45-70. Im sure it recoils like hell but ive read some reviews that claim its somewhere between a 44 and 454(again what i read). It may not be easy on the hand but itll damn sure meet your standards

 

[MCgunner]

I've thought about a .45 70 barrel for my contender, but why? It wouldn't kill GAME any deader than my .30-30 and probably would kill my hand. The shape of a contender grip is good about that with heavy recoil calibers.

there's a funny vid on youtube firing an encore with a .600 nitro express barrel.

 

[MCgunner]

If you like revolvers and aren't worried about ammo cost, why stop at .500 S&W?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_X5nyGu5LQ

 

[Dr.Rob]

.32-20 is way too light in a handgun. That was never designed, even in a rifle, to be a big game cartridge.. it's for varmints. I'm sure people killed deer with it but factory JSP loads are are rare these days.

 

[Lawdawg45]

The minimum handgun caliber in Indiana is the .357, but with any caliber, shot placement is paramount. In my opinion, the .44 mag and/or the .45 Colt are the best all around choices as far as bullet options (assuming you don't reload), and the Buffalo Bore +p .45 colt in a Ruger Blackhawk or OMV can't be beat!

LD

 

[critter]

Any good .41 Mag, .44 Mag or even a .45 Colt will work nicely. I have had great success with either of the last two on both hogs and deer.

I believe the .44 will have the most varied choice of ammo to use although most standard 240 grain loads will do ok.

Beware as the handgunning hunting sport is addictive!

 

[USSR]

Quote:
+1. I took 2 deer with a .357 before finally moving up to the .45 Colt. After shooting a deer with the .45 Colt, no way I would go back to the .357.

So, they died deader with the .45, eh?

Actually, I had a failure of a .357 Magnum bullet to penetrate on a particular shot. Sure, I could have gone with a different bullet, but with a .45 Colt sending a 265gr HP at 1000+fps, penetration is never a problem.

Don

 

[CraigC]

So, they died deader with the .45, eh?

The .357 must be run balls to the wall with good jacketed bullets that 'must' expand for it to do its job. Which usually means broadside only shots must be taken and care should be taken not to hit heavy bones on the way in. A good big bore can be effective down to 900fps with a decent standard weight cast bullet. No ear-splittin' muzzle blast and it will fully penetrate from any angle and does not need to expand to do its job.

Who said anything about an X-frame for deer??? Don't be dramatic.

 

[StrawHat]

While my preference is the 45 long Colt with black powder and lead bullets, you would be well served with a 44 Magnum. No store bought ammunition is cheap but 44 is usually available in most places. If you decide to handload, anything that starts with .4 will be sufficient.