I know this will bring some heated response. One of the largest handgun killed whitetails I've seen was killed with a 4in 22lr Ruger single six shot one handed draw aim fire. It doesn't take much to kill a whitetail.
That said IMO 41mag is the bottom end cause I cann't always get a perfect broadside shot. My personal deer handgun is a 4in 44mag with open sights. My cousin uses a 7.5in Ruger SuperRedhawk with a 2x (might be 4x) scope. He's deadly to 100yds. Has a blackbear and boar with that gun. I hunt where 50yds would be a major feat, he hunts a little more open (farm lands in Mich, me in the mts in Tn). As someone mentioned the single shots add a whole nuther dimension to handgun hunting. FWIW, we handload hard cast bullets to the hottest level with good accuracy. 310gr FPs give total penetration of a whitetail take out the shoulder and give minimal tracking distances (does anyone know why deer always run downhill away from your vehicle?).
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