Single shot pistols for hunting

[mountain_man]

I have never had the opportunity to use/fire single shot break action pistol. However they do intrigue me and I have been seriously considering one. If I get one I would probably use it primarily for hunting out of a stand or blind in thick wooded areas for whitetail and have been considering a 300 blk or a 357 magnum. Those who use one, do you view hunting with them in the realm of archery distances? Up to 100 yards? With different caliber choices are further distances reasonable? Or are they too awkward to use for anything beyond benchrest shooting at paper?

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Are you thinking a Thompson Contender or Encore? Or, another option?

I prefer the Contenders myself as they are a bit lighter than an Encore, but won't shoot as many of the more powerful rifle rounds out there.
That said, I'm less into those rifle rounds for my use so the Contender works for me.

Tons of barrels out there and custom options for them. If you handload it opens them up a LOT more. If you don't handload then it is tougher.

BLK and 357 are good options but I think there are better ones if you want to push your range some.

For me, 100m would be about it with a 7-30 Waters for white tail. Others could go further I'm sure.

Lots to read up on there and many options! I enjoy them a lot.

 

[Hookeye]

Extended Eye Relief scopes are a bit of a pain.
Since deer are decent sized, I'd opt for a reddot/reflex sight vs an actual EER scope.

Makes shooting well waaaaaay easier IMHO.
Even offhand.

 

[Hookeye]

My Contender is a 14" .35 Remington. It wears Pachmayr "Gripper" grips, helps w recoil.
Still a bit of thump IMHO.

If I have to step back in recoil, I'll go .357 magnum.

 

[jmorris]

I hunt with XP-100’s and Contenders. 7mm BR is my favorite round but lots of them work great well past any reasonable archery distances.

I’d probably go with 357 max over magnum, if hunting was my goal. 44 mag also keeps things pretty simple.

Magnification allows for more precise shot placement at the expense of slower target acquisition, without considerable practice. Basically a field of view issue.

Looks something like the difference between these two.

 

[Hookeye]

If I had a box blind w shelf, an XP in 7mm 08 would be cool.
Shot my dads Striker and did well w it on range but didn't care for it.
Liked my coworkers 7BR XP100 better (even though it a single shot).

 

[horsemen61]

Me I’m looking at that nosler single shot pistol in 6.5 Creedmoor of course

 

[Hookeye]

Have a reflex on my Contender .35 rem.
Not tested it since my wrist is messed up.
Maybe shoot lefty this weekend.

Want to upgrade to Leupold DPP.

14" I think best for .35 rem cartridge, but a 12" .357 magnum would be a little nicer all around rig.
Could hunt yotes w it too.
I have .35 rem rifle, so went w that in the Contender.

 

[eastbank]

i have a .309 jdj on a contender frame ss 12 " barrel,2.5-8 leupold eer scope. its a hand full with toploads,but it delivers the goods.

 

[Hookeye]

My stainless Contender was used, Leupold 2.5-8x on top and barrel had a brake on it ( Hunter model ).

I sold the bbl and scope and put a blued no brake bbl and went reflex ( since had a spare ).

Was thinking Aimpoint PRO but put the reflex on and liked the less weight/ bulk.

So the search is on for a non chinesium reflex upgrade.

 

[Patocazador]

I have a Contender with 4 barrels, A 7-30 Waters, 357/44 Bain & Davis, .44 Mag., and .30-30. For one reason or another only the .357/.44 has killed a deer. I have hunted mainly with the 7-30 Waters but never had a deer come by at a distance that I thought was a sure kill.

Most of the deer I have killed with a pistol met their demise because of my XP-100 in .250 Savage. I've killed 22 with it. Yes, it is a rifle cartridge but recoil is negligible .. much less than a .44Mag.



If you are using open sights, I believe your maximum distance should be ~ 75 yards. With a scope it's up to you.

 

[Varminterror]

Effective range for a Specialty Pistol will be determined by the pistol type, support type, cartridge, and optic being used. I have a 15" Savage Striker in 6 Creedmoor which I've shot out to 1000 yrds, and I'd be very confident on taking deer with it out past 400yrds. An SP chambered in a revolver cartridge and topped with a red dot or iron sights might only be useful to 100-150yrds, and maybe not even that far, but there are a lot of SP's out there which could be hunted to as far as a hunter would ever desire.

 

[mountain_man]

Are you thinking a Thompson Contender or Encore? Or, another option?

I prefer the Contenders myself as they are a bit lighter than an Encore, but won't shoot as many of the more powerful rifle rounds out there.
That said, I'm less into those rifle rounds for my use so the Contender works for me.

Tons of barrels out there and custom options for them. If you handload it opens them up a LOT more. If you don't handload then it is tougher.

BLK and 357 are good options but I think there are better ones if you want to push your range some.

For me, 100m would be about it with a 7-30 Waters for white tail. Others could go further I'm sure.

Lots to read up on there and many options! I enjoy them a lot.

Prices on the contenders/encores are keeping me away from them right now. I haven't looked too hard at all of the different manufacturers but I've been thinking about one of the cva pistols as a way to get my feet wet so to speak. They are more affordable and I know they have a good reputation for accuracy. I know they have other options like 44 mag, 243 and 6.5 but i was thinking of staying on the lower end of recoil spectrum for starters.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

If you handload, you can always load some of them down a bit.

I have many Contender barrels and with the weight of a scope on them I don't find any bad. Now, not a range plinking toy if loaded hot, but for hunting the recoil isn't an issue.

I know little about the CVA's. If you can handle one and the trigger is good that may be a good option.

It looks like CVA has stopped making their pistols, so get one when you see if it seems like a good fit for you.

 

[P Flados]

Prices on the contenders/encores are keeping me away from them right now. I haven't looked too hard at all of the different manufacturers but I've been thinking about one of the cva pistols as a way to get my feet wet so to speak. They are more affordable and I know they have a good reputation for accuracy. I know they have other options like 44 mag, 243 and 6.5 but i was thinking of staying on the lower end of recoil spectrum for starters.

I started shooting a Contender in the 1970s.

The CVA has a pretty good reputation but there are three issues. They seem to be made in batches and new guns are only available in very few calibers at any given time. Second issue is that the gun is not intended to be "barrel swappable". However the price point allows you to buy CVA guns for about what Contender barrels cost. Third issue is general availability (not much out there as best I can see).

Lower end for recoil is probably best achieved with a caliber no larger than 30 with the 300 BO being a decent starting place.

Pistol hunting can be ok with factory ammo, but handloading can be a significant improvement in many cases.

 

[dobedo]

I have never had the opportunity to use/fire single shot break action pistol. However they do intrigue me and I have been seriously considering one. If I get one I would probably use it primarily for hunting out of a stand or blind in thick wooded areas for whitetail and have been considering a 300 blk or a 357 magnum. Those who use one, do you view hunting with them in the realm of archery distances? Up to 100 yards? With different caliber choices are further distances reasonable? Or are they too awkward to use for anything beyond benchrest shooting at paper?

Thompson Centers is probably your best bet. I shot one in 45/70 which surprisingly not bad at all for recoil.
They are no longer in production Muzzleloader Accessories, Optics, Barrels, Sabots | ThompsonCenter (tcarms.com)
Bought by S&W BREAKING: Smith & Wesson Selling Thompson/Center, No Buyer Yet (gunsamerica.com),
You can only find used ones, Thompson Center Pistols - Contender for sale (gunsinternational.com)
I was in the market for one for hunting some years back and did not want to buy used. So, the hunt was on, and I ended up getting a .500 S&W BHA revolver which comes with scope mounts and come me in many calibers. I did shoot a bud's in 45/70 and what was surprising it had far less recoil than my .500 S&W, BFR - Big Frame Revolver | Magnum Research, Inc. | Desert Eagle pistols and BFR revolvers

 

[d2wing]

Not a fan of single shot hunting. But the more powerful te better.

 

[Hookeye]

Single shots dont bother me.

Bet one could reload some of em quicker than others LOL

( Have never muzzleloader handgun hunted )

 

[Todd NE WY]

There are many of us who hunt with single shots, reloading really is a non issue. I tend to be pickier with my shots and try to minimize the need for followups. The main factor for someone new to handgun hunting, single shot or otherwise, is field practice. Being able to shoot bughole groups off the bench means nothing when you are trying to get steady for a 200 yard shot on game with nothing but a tree branch or rock for support. Find someplace that you can get out and shoot various distances and under various conditions. If you really want to see how your skills are come to Newcastle, WY June 14 and 15, 2024 and shoot in Handgun Hunter's Competition. This is a practical field shooting competition for handgun hunters, there are 4 divisions, rimfire, revolver/pistol open sight, revolver/pistol optic and single shot pistol the course will challenge you and help you find any weaknesses in your shooting.

 

[Steve in PA]

My favorite deer slayer; 14” T/C Contender in 7-30 Waters. I also have one in .44 Magnum.

 

[Captcurt]

I need another single shot. I had a XP-100 in 221 Fireball that was death on crows out to 150 yards. Even took a couple of deer with a Contender in 7mm TCU. I am looking for a Contender in 7-30 Waters but they are getting hard to find and expensive.

 

[Anchorite]

I started shooting Contenders and XPs in the 90s. I used them to hunt at strictly archery ranges, but the occasional longer-range shot (100+ yards) presented itself from time to time. It was a fun challenge.

These days my Encores are range-only tools. For hunting, I take a revolver or rifle these days. KISS.