# Favorite Hunting Pistol Caliber



## ATLRoach (Sep 23, 2009)

Okay since I'm building a new pistol, I'm racking my brain on all the different calibers of pistols. What is your favorite hunting pistol round and why?


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## HandgunHTR (Sep 23, 2009)

I think you know my answer.


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## ATLRoach (Sep 23, 2009)

HandgunHTR said:


> I think you know my answer.



Come on Mike! Others may wanna know.


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## Sargent (Sep 23, 2009)

.22lr????


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## fishndinty (Sep 23, 2009)

Sargent said:


> .22lr????



I prefer the silenced 10mm.  The farmer won't know you're there if you use nightvision


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## deerslayer357 (Sep 23, 2009)

.44 mag


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## firebiker (Sep 23, 2009)

deerslayer357 said:


> .44 mag




what he said 

slightly imitaded,never duplicated 44 MAG!


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## 7dawg9 (Sep 23, 2009)

*handgun*

.41 Mag

less recoil, more than enough knock-down.


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## pnome (Sep 23, 2009)

.44 mag  lots of selection


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## killitgrillit (Sep 23, 2009)

44 mag 240gr HP/XTP


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## Inthegarge (Sep 23, 2009)

I hunted for years with a Ruger Blackhawk 44mag with a Burris 4X scope. It was deadly....Killed deer, bear, hog and snakes...not much snake left to eat thou......To bad I can't hold one steady now. Sure miss it......RW


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## ATLRoach (Sep 23, 2009)

UMMM.....WHY? Why do you folks like these cartridges?


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## pnome (Sep 23, 2009)

ATLRoach said:


> UMMM.....WHY? Why do you folks like these cartridges?



Well, the .44 mag has plenty of power.  Not too much recoil, and ammo is pretty readily available.  Wide verity too. 

I've shot that s&w .460 too.  Very nice, but ammo is not as widely available.


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## HandgunHTR (Sep 23, 2009)

ATLRoach said:


> Come on Mike! Others may wanna know.



Well, since you asked.

I am partial to the JDJ cartridges based on the .225 Winchester case.

Lost of range and very little recoil.  My personal preference is the 6.5JDJ.  I can push a 120 grain bullet at right around 2400fps.  That makes it a legit 300 yard handgun.

If I had to go with a true "handgun" cartridge, I would say the .357 Maximum is hard to beat.  Energy on par with a .41 Mag with better velocity and the ability to use .35 caliber spitzer bullets if you chamber a single-shot gun in the Max.

So, there you go.

Since I know you are getting a Contender frame, the possibilities are wide open.  

My suggestion would be to go to the MGM website and click on the "Available Chamberings" link.  Take a look at what they have to offer.  You might find something that peaks your interest.


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## deerslayer357 (Sep 24, 2009)

well, I like the 44mag because I know it has enough power and hunting bullets are easily accessible.  I started with a 357mag and I had a hard time finding bullets designed to hunt with since I don't reload my own.  I killed 2 deer with the 357mag, but neither left a good blood trail.  
I haven't gotten into the contenders, so I'm stuck with normal handgun chamberings in revolvers, and of those, I'll take the 44.


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## great white (Sep 24, 2009)

Ruger super redhawk s.s 9 1/2" barrel .44mag.


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## Washington95 (Sep 24, 2009)

I lucked into a used TC Contender in 35 Rem.  I've mentioned it before here but this thing shoots great.  Pistol is much better than shooter, but I have shot 2 inch, three shot groups at 100 yds.  For me that is great; can't do it all the time though.  Shoot Winchester
200 gr power points, #X35R1, and Hornady Leverevolution 200 gr.
Off bags to zero/check.


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## jkoch (Sep 24, 2009)

TC Contender in 7-30 Waters.


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## olchevy (Sep 25, 2009)

S&W 686 .357, I know there are better out there but its all we got highpower pistol wise and it works, you just have to be more paitient and pass up shots you might take with other calibers.


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## ylhatch (Sep 25, 2009)

what kind of range can yall get out of those .44's


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## Hawken2222 (Sep 25, 2009)

ylhatch said:


> what kind of range can yall get out of those .44's



I am confident out to 70 yards with mine.  With more practice, & possibly a variable scope, I will be able to shoot farther.  This year though, it will be a max shot of 70 yards.


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## MR.BIGBUCK (Sep 26, 2009)

Well i hope 10mm just got one and hope it is good as i have heard. I will tell you by the end of the season. glock20 and have taken to range what a great shooting gun.


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## 8pointduck (Sep 27, 2009)

I can tell you my favorite for this year. It will be .445 super mag out of my Dan Wesson . Its hard to pick just one. I have handguns from .44 mag to 308 winchester for hunting


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## ATLRoach (Sep 27, 2009)

8pointduck said:


> I can tell you my favorite for this year. It will be .445 super mag out of my Dan Wesson . Its hard to pick just one. I have handguns from .44 mag to 308 winchester for hunting



What is your take on the 445 Super Mag? Hard to find brass? What are you using to load with as far as dies. I wouldn't mind a 445 Super Mag or 10mm Mag.


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## rwg (Sep 28, 2009)

I've been using my 338 WinMag for quite a few years now in a TC Encore. Brass is/was easily obtainable you can find loaded cartridges in most larger sporting goods stores. I reload and there is an excellent selection of bullets available. You have true 30-06 power in a handgun. My load of choice for deer is a 180g Nosler BT(no longer available) over a charge of RL 15 the load came straight out of the Nosler Reloaders Guide. I am getting 2700FPS. So for me I get plenty of power, accuracy is superb, recoil is stout but easy to handle my barrel has a nice muzzle break. 
In a revolver my choice is 44 Mag. Plenty of power, easy to find ammo and can be very accurate. I lean towards the Hornady 240g XTP for deer but will up the ante on big pigs. You can download to nice easy to handle target loads all the way up to wrist snapping full bore loads.


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## BIGGUS (Sep 28, 2009)

I've got a SRH 9.5" .44 & an XP100R in .260 Rem. The SRH has plenty of power for anything I hunt with it and shoots better than I do. The XP is ridiculously accurate @ 100yds, & while I've not gotten to use it on game yet, I'm sure it's gonna do just fine.


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## TJay (Sep 30, 2009)

Ruger Bisley Blackhawk .45LC


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## SkeeterZX225 (Sep 30, 2009)

TC Encore...7mm08...cant be beat


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## bowhntr (Sep 30, 2009)

HandgunHNTR named my favorite the .357Max , took 5 deer last year and one is my best whitetail buck so far. Tried a new powder a few weeks ago and it tightened up my groups incredibly . I use the .35 cal 180 spitzers also and they have worked very well , all one shot kills.

 The best part is you can still buy brass and there are lots of bullets you can use . Some guys who cast there own have a lot of choices also. I like the choice of primer they used for the Max, the small rifle primer . I was given about 1000 of these free so my shooting has gotten a lot cheeper .


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## 730waters (Oct 1, 2009)

*730 Waters*

In a 14" Contender with 2x7x32 Burris and 120grain Hornady bullets. It is hard to beat , shooting off the homemade X sticks, it is a tack driver. The handloads are really long range for a handgun. I heard of a fellow on the internet that shot a CONFIRMED 500 meter round with a 31/32 inch group with a pistol in this caliber. Don't know if this is true or not.   
730


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## cheezeball231 (Oct 1, 2009)

S&W 500 8 3/8 barrel


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## dertiedawg (Oct 1, 2009)

Ruger Super Redhawk in 44mag with a 7 1/2 in barrel... because it "fits" me. Recoil is very manageable, ammo is easy to get and is much cheaper than the "bigger" cartridges (such as the 454, 460, 480 and 500), there are many options such as bullet weight and style as well as magnum or special, the straight walled case makes it easy to reload for the beginner (use a friends equipment when I can because I don't have my own yet), the grip fits my hand perfectly (added hogue grip and what a difference!), it's big enough to easily take down any game in Georgia, it's a proven cartridge many times over, I can shoot it accurately up to 100 yards with a rest and last but not least... I just love it!!


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## deerslayer357 (Oct 1, 2009)

Ruger Super Redhawk in 9.5" barrel, and everything that dertiedawg said!!!!!!!!!!!!!
gotta love it!


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## Barry Duggan (Oct 1, 2009)

4 3/4" Linebaugh custom ruger bisley in .45 colt, and 6 1/2" freedom arms in 454 casull. Both are easy to load for,  shoot very well, and hit fairly hard.


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## Norlena (Oct 2, 2009)

I have two boxes of factory 445s. My brother had one and some how I ended up with the ammo. Would you be interested?


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## Barry Duggan (Oct 2, 2009)

What brand and weight?


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## allmotoronly (Oct 2, 2009)

Glock 20 10mm with 6" storm lake barrel, fab defense optics mount, and burris scope. The corbon ammo I shoot is good for 614lb/ft of energy, which is more than a .357mag, and almost as much as a .41mag.


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## nickE10mm (Oct 6, 2009)

My favorite hunting caliber has always been a good, hot loaded 10mm, reason being that the deer and hogs I hunt in SW Missouri are always within 10-40 yards and I am most comfortable and accurate with 1911's.  My DW Razorback 10mm took my first handgun deer this past season and I'm addicted now.

That being said, I just picked up a nice Monson, MA Dan Wesson 44 VH that I also got to wring out a couple days ago and I'll be using it this year.  I like the .44 for the easy to find ammo, most ALL of which is acceptable to hunt deer with, and it's potential for longer range hunting.  In addition, the .44 mag can be loaded to hunt anything on the continent .... plus, can be used for plinking or varminting just as easily with .44 special loads.

Here's a pic...


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## buffalohunter (Oct 7, 2009)

TC Encore in 375 JDJ, works for me.

buffalohunter


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## georgia_gent (Oct 12, 2009)

well fellas since my hunting is limited from a flippin' wheel-chair this year..i am going to use my taurus .454 casull 6.5 inch raging bull..putting on a red dot 40mm scope...not sure on the load yet still working on that aspect...


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## MR.BIGBUCK (Oct 12, 2009)

Would like to see a pic trying to see how to mount a scope on mine thanks.






allmotoronly said:


> Glock 20 10mm with 6" storm lake barrel, fab defense optics mount, and burris scope. The corbon ammo I shoot is good for 614lb/ft of energy, which is more than a .357mag, and almost as much as a .41mag.


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## Doyle (Oct 14, 2009)

BIGGUS said:


> I've got a SRH 9.5" .44 & an XP100R in .260 Rem. The SRH has plenty of power for anything I hunt with it and shoots better than I do. The XP is ridiculously accurate @ 100yds, & while I've not gotten to use it on game yet, I'm sure it's gonna do just fine.



I've got the same XP100R.   I can't wait until I get a chance to use it on something besides paper.


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## 708 (Oct 15, 2009)

i shoot a encore pistol in 708, burris scope, harris bipod- clean 1moa.  in factory t/c barrels try longer bullets


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## majg1234 (Oct 29, 2009)

*460s&w*

My choice after years of hunting with a 44mag,460 hits HARD,shoots flat,recoil is stout but managable,you can load from 45 colt,454 casull and 460 so it is very versitile,killed 2 BIG pigs (300+ lbs) with it this year DRT (dead right there)


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## watermedic (Oct 29, 2009)

Super Redhawk in 480 ruger. Bought it when they first came out. Plenty of power and the recoil is manageable.


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## Hunley (Oct 30, 2009)

.357 Magnum. It's the only really viable hunting caliber I own in a pistol platform. Plenty of ammo in plenty of loads can be found, and it isn't all that expensive to shoot. I inherited my father's S&W 4" 66-2 back in '04. It's a great gun, but I would like to find something else to use due to the sentimental value. Probably get a GP100 at some point.

I take it with me now after an angry hog didn't respond the way I had hoped to my G27 loaded with 180gr. GoldDot ammo from Double Tap. I had to use my 642 loaded with +P Corbon DPX ammo to stop him. The .40s wouldn't go through his skull. Be it 4wheeling, hunting, or messing around on the club, I feel safer with it.

Now, if I had the money (and reloading stuff), I too would like a Dan Wesson .357 Maximum. I'll probably just get a Super Redhawk in .454 though if I really get that big into handgun hunting. 

I want a 460 and 500 one day, but I want a lot of things that are nowhere near practical. The 460 is somewhat feasible, but I would probably never shoot the 460 rounds in it. Just .45s and .454s. Nor are they affordable on my teacher-who-can't-find-a-job-and-just-got-engaged budget.


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## gahunter70 (Oct 30, 2009)

44 mag. in a 629 classic S&W 6.5" barrel iron sites. 180 hornady xtp hp 180 grain. Killed several deer,hogs,feral cats,alligator,armadillos,raccoons. Man I loved that gun till someone stole it. It was very accurate, two deer I killed were between 95 and 100 yds. Can't go wrong with the 44.


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## Razor Blade (Oct 30, 2009)

killitgrillit said:


> 44 mag 240gr HP/XTP



X-2   ,  only wise choise out there . Scott


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## 11P&YBOWHUNTER (Oct 31, 2009)

AtlRoach, listen to everyone else, then come over and try out my Lone Eagle in 308.   No more thinking about will be required.


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## HuntFan (Nov 3, 2009)

Any of the mid-size rifle cartridges (7-30 Waters, 243, 7-08, 308, 30-30) work very well on deer size game, low recoil, & suitable factory ammo is easy to find.


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## devolve (Nov 4, 2009)

hows the recoil compare on the encore pistol 7-08 and 308 barrels? Looking very hard at both of these barrels for the endeavor I ordered. On the fence and not sure which way to go.


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## reelguy (Nov 10, 2009)

It's hard to beat the off the shelf .44 mag ammo.  It will hammer much of what your going after.  I have killed deer, hogs, coyotes, gators, a bear, etc. I would definitely recommend the Hornady Leverution 240Gr, man they pack a heck of a lot of energy.  I also have a Ruger Blackhawk in .45LC and had the same results, within 50 yards.  One thing, the .45LC I have never had one take more than a couple steps...the .44Mag I have had them run a ways before dropping.  Maybe it's the size and weight of the bullet?  If you are going into a TC, the .35 is the bomb, a great all around cartridge for all types of game.  My .02 worth!


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## DonArkie (Nov 17, 2009)

anything 45 ca. My hunting  handgun is T/C Contender G-1 Super 14 in 45 Win Mag topped w/ Weaver Fixed 2X Scope


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## repoman34 (Nov 18, 2009)

.22LR is all you really need. You guys are trying to blow holes in your kill the size of basketballs.


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## RLFaler (Nov 28, 2009)

.41 mag Blackhawk or T/C in 356 GNR (Reeder wildcat)


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## earl2229 (Dec 17, 2009)

.480 ruger


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## moonrunner (Dec 22, 2009)

Ruger srh redhawk 7 1/2 " and s&w 460.


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