ANY HANDGUN HUNTERS OUT THERE?

[o1paw]

I currently hunt with a T/C ENCORE with a 30-06 bbl. Any other handgun hunters out there and what do you use and why?

[Rich Lucibella]

I've been waiting for Ty to get back before noticing the hunting boards of our existence... one reason why traffic here is so light. If you are on any of these Boards or Lists, please let your friends know we're here.
Rich

[Rob Pincus]

I've hunted with a Model 29 for years and I am going to use a Glock 20 this year.
I enjoy the increased challenge of hunting with a handgun. I've always been one to do things a littel differently anyway....

[o1paw]

Rob,
What bbl length is you 29? I've got a 5" 629 thats been my constant companion in the mts for many years. What made you decide to go with the glock? Just a change of pace?

[Rob Pincus]

I have the BIG one, 8 & 3/8ths.
I am going to try the Glock out this year for several reasons. The first, to be honest, is to try it out. I have been shooting Glocks for about 3 years and I've thought about hunting with the .45 or 10mm for a long time, on one platform or another.
I have gotten to know the guys (and gals (incase they're watchin') at Glock pretty well over the last year and the word is that the future of the Glock 20 here in the US is almost entirely dependent on it being adopted as a hunting weapon.
So, I sent a G20 off to get a Realtree Advantage Camo coating and we'll see how it works.
My wife is actually going to use it first, on a boar in Texas, she takes better pictures anyway.....
then I'l try for a whitetail later in the year.
I have full faith in the gun and the caliber, it is just a matter of actually hunting with it and getting the word out. put a few pictures in the Mags, etc.. And the realtree coating will make it look more acceptable to hunters I think. I'd hate to see the G20 discontinued...

[This message has been edited by Rob (edited 10-19-98).]

[o1paw]

Rob,
Real-tree camo? Boy! Talk about a conversation piece! http://www.thefiringline.com/ubb/smile.gif I'm usually an auto-guy, and I carry an auto CCW, but when I hunt elk, I'm out there for 9 days straight in bad weather, usually. So I opt for a revolver where maintenace is at a minimum. Besides, I dont really get to carry/use the 629 except for my hunting/camping/hiking excursions and I'd hate for it to be "retired" to my safe. After all, its such a pretty gun......... http://www.thefiringline.com/ubb/smile.gif
Good luck on your hunt,
o1paw

[Rob Pincus]

I hope it generates a lot of conversation. In fact, I'll be ahving a conversation with a gu y from Austria with a one syllable last name about getting a whole slew of them made at the SHOT show this winter....

I agree 100% on the revolver in the field deal. But most handgun hunters are day trippers, especially the 10mm crowd. Whitetails and boar are the main targets.

[o1paw]

Never had the opportunity to hunt wild boars. I've heard they can be nasty. Sounds like fun!!!!! Any close calls? Had one with a lion once..........no, I missed........ http://www.thefiringline.com/ubb/frown.gif Hey wouldnt it be great to get a "HANDGUN HUNTING" board here?
Talk to you later,
o1paw

[Rob Pincus]

yeah, then the two of us would have our wn littl epiece of the firing line!.. I've not had anything really exciting happen on a boar hunt, but a buddy of mine was gouged by a supposed-to-be-dead Whitetail once.....

How do you let yourself have close call with a Lion ?? Sounds like either a really cool hunting trip or a really stupid circus prank....

[Kodiac]

I have hunted game of various types with a RUGER BLACKHAWK and have always had good success with it. I hunt with Iron Sights, I think scopes on a single action are bit off. .44 Magnum has the best energy levels outside .454 country. And you can buy .44 hunting loads pretty easily. The Blackhawk is the only revolver I own. I got it after the first time I saw "Silverado" which made me want to be a Cowboy... I dont shoot it much anymore as I am too busy to go hunting. Even for squirls. I am interested in the new Winchester Supreme hollow points with the Nolser partition gold whatever that is... It looks like the best of both worlds in terms of bullet concepts. Should be a golden BB for Deer or Pig. Any one hunted with it yet?

[Rob Pincus]

I haven't hunted with partition bullets in a handgun yet, but they definetly work Very well in Rifle bullets.

[o1paw]

Rob,
The deal with the lion is kind funny, in retrospect, I had read that guys were calling in lions. So i went out, bought the cat tag, bought a cow elk call, took my T/C and my 629 up into the mts and started snoopin around.up above a rocky point I cut some tracks of deer, and sure enough there was a cat followin them. Now I was fairly certain the tracks were pretty fresh, probably a day or so old by my estimation, and I knew I couldnt sneak up on a lion, so I sat down on a log to try this call I had no idea how to use. I blew on it for about 5 min or so tryin to emmulate the bleats of a fawn. I musta done something right......heard the soft thumping of padded feet from BEHIND me, and quickly turned around. I think the cat was more surprised to to see a human than I was to see him. He was coming straight at me until I turned around, then it was as though he turned on a dime to my right and took off like a shot! i got 1 shot off with the T/C (went high, of course) and killed a tree nearby, but by the time I put the T/C down and grabbed for the 44, he was long gone. Saw 8 mule deer does and yearlings head for cover, too. After it was all over I just sat there trying to figure out what had just happened. It took a few moments to,ah, compose myself, if you know what I mean. To this day, I have no idea how big he was, but he sure LOOKED big to me! Next time, I'll bring a friend(if I can find one brave enough) so we can watch each others backs. I think it'll work better that way. I really didnt expect him to charge in like that, but I know better now!
Stay safe,
o1paw

[Rob Pincus]

Okay, sorry I was on the wrong continent. I had pictured you investing $15,000 in an african safari, out on the serangeti with guides, a range rover, the whole package and still not getting the big Lion King type lion that they let get too close to ya! hehe

[o1paw]

Rob,
Only in my dreams!!!!! I'd love to hunt an African lion. Course, in my dreams, i dont miss! Maybe someday. I'll keep dreamin til then. I guess I should have been more specific, huh?
o1paw

[Kodiac]

In my dreams Salma Hyak is my hunting partner... but some how we lose or guns.

8-D

[chargar]

I have hunted with hanguns off and on for 40 years taking varmints, small game, javalina, turkey and deer. I even shot a mountain lion out of a tree once with a 45 ACP. For anything smaller than deer a good .357 mag will do the trick. For deer I use an old three screw Ruger Super Blackhawk (44 mag). I have spruced it up a bit with Bowen sights and Adamovitch grips. It will do anything I want a handgun to do. When just out knocking about the brush..I carry one of several S&W 45 ACP revolvers I own. I shoot a 240 grain cast SWC at 950 to 1000 fps, depending on bbl length, from these revolvers and this will do the trick on anything I point it at up to deer.

[Spectre]

I've been itching to try out a .45 Super for a couple of years now. (I've also bugged Ruger and Kel-tec about making a carbine for it.) Has anyone here hunted with a .45 Super? I figure a 230-grain Gold Dot or XTP (J.D. says Gold Dot is sturdier) @ 1300 fps should be about ideal...

[Plainsman]

Hi all!

I'm new here and I like to hunt with rifle, bow and HANDGUN! I have a Ruger Redhawk in .44, and a T/C Contender in .223. I'm currently watching for a 12" Hunter barrel for the T/C with open sights in .44 magnum and a .45/.410 barrel. I want to try hunting hogs down here in TX with the .44. Anybody have recommendations for BULLETS? I'm thinking 300 grain Sierra FPJ's at the moment. Mainly since I have some loaded already! I've thought maybe some 240 JSP's would work well!?!

I have an Auxiliary Cartridge from Alex Inc that puts .22 LR out of my .223 well! At 25 yds. the zero is close to the same. It makes my .223 barrel VERY useful.

Hope to post chat more on handgun hunting later!

Plainsman

[Rob Pincus]

welcome plainsman... Your choice of bullet would be great for some of those killer boars, but a texas for a texas boar it might be a bit much, we are going to use 180grn hydrashoks (I think...) out of a 10mm.

[Plainsman]

So a 240 gr. JHP would be sufficient I take it!?! Mainly I'll be backing up a guy with a bow the first time out and didn't want to be "undergunned." I've never hunted them before and would feel much safer with a lever gun and sidearm both in .44 the first time. I plan on eventually trying with my bow as well, just don't want to be the first guinea pig next weekend! :-)

Do any of you have rifle/handgun combos with the same caliber? If so, do you load one load for both or have separate loadings? I'm trying to get one caliber/one load so I never have to worry about grabbing the "wrong" load for the firearm. At the moment I'm working on a load for the .44 that isn't max. for the handgun and isn't min. for the lever...I have a Redhawk 7.5" and a Marlin 20" Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Plainsman

[Rob Pincus]

I had an .223 AR pistol, a .223 Contender bull barrel and a selection of rifles that used .223, same loads, NATO http://www.thefiringline.com/ubb/smile.gif.

I never messed with carbine and pistol in the same calibre, though I have been putting off the purchase of a carbine in .40 S&W. (secretly hoping all my friends in Smyrna keep lying to me and they will announce the Glock carbine at the SHOT show this year...)

[fal308]

Plainsman
I've got the same 44 combo. Just don't use any 300 gr bullets in the Marlin. Gives a lot more recoil.Mine has just started to loosen up due to the 300's recoil. The marlin wasn't designed to handle that much. Sierra says right on the box that they are for handgun use only. So naturally I had to try some. Accurate #9 at 19 gr. with a 240-250 JHP seems to work pretty well for me. Also 19 gr of Vihta Vouhri N110 with a 240-250 JHP.

[DC]

RE: Pig hunting

Dad and I were hunting them one time (I was 16 maybe), we happened across a rare big ol boar....the biggest prior to this guy was maybe. 200 lbs. I cut loose with my 30-30, hit him and just PO'd him. Dad with his .280, and the bugger came after us. Ran out of ammo and he is coming in like a freight train. So we went to sidearms. I had a .357 and Dad a .45. My dad kept his head and just kept saying what to do. "Drop your rifle, use your pistol, slow, fire"....and kept up a cadence. Honestly, after my 2nd rifle shot I'm suprised I ever hit him again. I actually hit the bugger 6 times. One of dad's .45s actually did him in, finally dropped him about 20 ft from us, he had been hit 13 times.
Granted a few had simply bounced off him, those big guys have armor. He was around 430 lbs and made the best sausage and roasts you could ever have.
Needless to say, we never went so underpowered again.

[gdeal]

I don't hunt with a handgun but I have heard that the Ruger 44 Mag will do a pretty good job.

[Firefighter14]

Been handgun hunting for 21 years now and have killed a many of animal. I guess my favorite as far as a single shot goes is the T/C chambered in the 309 and the 338 JDJ's just got a 257 JDJ and its supposed to kill way out of purportion to its size. A far as my revolvers go...well I will have to stick with my 41 mag blackhawk. For the folks that don't know about these guns check out SSKIndustries.com and Bullberry.com...I have purchased from both and very very reputable.

[kwkoch]

what exactly do you plan to hunt with a 10mm and where is it legal to hunt with an auto pistol?

question's for rob.

[Long Path]

Good heavens! This is one of the earliest threads in TFL's history!

Rob has indeed harvested hog with a 10mm, as did his wife of the time. The crazy idjit also jumped astride one and did it in with a knife. This was in Arkansas, ca. 2000.

[SCcdp]

I hog and deer hunt here in SC with a 5.5" Ruger Redhawk chambered in .41 Magnum, a 210 grain out of that gun is good medicine for those guys. Hogs are rountinely killed in this state with knives - we have such a hog problem in some parts of the state (one nuclear facility in particular) that a bounty is offered on each hog but there is one catch no guns allowed. The biggest one I've seen killed like that went about 300 lbs - he was tossing dogs everywhere until the catch dogs got on him.

[Ohio Annie]

I'm all ready for deer gun season next week with my 6" .357. I will get a doe (a deer, a female deer) from about 25 yards. Just a small one I can handle by myself.:)

Ammo = Remington Peters yellow box 125 gr. semi-jacketed.:)

Shoots offhand in a 3" circle at 50 yards.

[12-34hom]

I do some of my varmint hunting with a Savage Striker chambered in 22-250.

Mounted a Burris 2 + 7 pistol scope - had my smith work the trigger - shoots @ MOA with selected handloads of mine using Sierra 53 grain match HP over some H414.

Great fox - coyote - crow gun.

12-34hom.

[tex45acp]

My handgun hunting experiences started about 20 years ago whe I was out squirrel hunting and the action in the semi-auto rifle I was using, broke into pieces. I have always carried a handgun when hunting but never used one for that purpose and I did that day. I dispatched 6 squirrels with my .22 cal. Smith & Wesson revolver and was hooked. The next year I bought a Model 10 Smith in .38 special to start hunting small game with, then the following year started using larger calibers for whitetail. I've hunted with a Colt Python in 357mag, a Ruger Super Blackhawk in 45 long colt, a Smith Model 629 in 44 mag and finally settled on the gun and caliber that are my favorite and I have stayed with for the last 15 years. A Stainless Ruger Redhawk in .41mag, 7 1/2" barrel that came from the factory ready to mount a scope.....so my wife and sons bought me a silver Leupold 2x handgun scope. I mounted it and never looked back. I have taken multiple whitetails, hogs and even a book Fallow with this gun. I handload and have some loads that can literally shoot through an engine block and some that barely push the bullet out of the barrel. I found out many years ago that no one makes snake shot for a .41mag so I make my own. I take a case, load bullseye powder and shove a gascheck on top of the powder just as if it were on the bottom of a cast bullet. I load the rest with #9 shot and place another gascheck upside down inside the top of the case making it flush and giving it an ever so slight crimp. This combp makes a lemon into lemon mush at 8-10 feet. I have used it on a rather large water moccasin here in Texas once and there was no head lefr on the snake at about 10 feet away. Handgun hunting is really great and extremely challenging and I really love it.

Hey Sccdp,
If you ever get a wild hair to sell the 5 1/2" .41mag Redhawk, please let me know. I have been looking for one in that barrel length for 10 years and they are all owned by someone other than me. I currently have a Stainless Taurus in that caliber with a 2 1/2" barrel.......good gun but it just is not the same. If you do get ready to sell email me at [email protected].

Ohio Anne,
May I make a suggestion.....get the largest bullet for the .357 you can shoot accurately. Whitetails are animals that have almost a superanimal will to live past the shot. I have seen them run with a perfectly placed heart/lung shot for several hundred yards and more. If the bullet is a little bigger the impact on the animal is greater and causes more trauma from the beginning. I started out with 110gr. and worked my way up to the 180gr. loads made by Federal. Most of my hunts with the Federal load have brought the animal down in much shorter distances and that is even if they run at all. JMHO.

[SCcdp]

Tex45acp -

I'll keep you in mind if I ever do decide to get rid of it, but that will have to be a really wild hair. I found this gun at a gunshop that I gunsmithed for during college and it is probably my favorite gun that I own. I have been looking everywhere for a 5.5in 357 but those don't seem to be easy to come by either.

Matt