# Best all around hand gun for hunting



## bamaboy812003 (Jul 10, 2009)

This question a tricky one i guess. I'm looking for the one hand gun which can take everything from a whitetail to a moose. I was thinking .454 casual or the .460 S&W. Now everybody set me straight, I'm trying to get into hand gun hunting for the new challege. But want to buy one gun that can do it all. Thanks everybody.


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## tv_racin_fan (Jul 10, 2009)

The one handgun that can do it all would be the TC Encore. You could stick a 22 barrel on it and shoot squirrel and then change to the 308 and shoot pretty much anything else.


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## hawgrider1200 (Jul 10, 2009)

U might b well served to purchase an encore action with different barrels for the different animals u want to hunt. U can get barrels chambered in calibers usually thought of only for rifles. I'm thinking those calibers would b much better for moose than even ur largest handgun calibers. Ur larger handgun calibers are probably not as flat shooting as a rifle caliber.


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## HandgunHTR (Jul 10, 2009)

I am going to go partially with what tv and hawgrider said.  I say partially, because I agree that a T/C switchbarrel will fit your bill, but I am going to say Contender over Encore.

Here is my reasoning.  Shooting "rifle" rounds out of a pistol length barrel does nothing except increase the noise, recoil and muzzle blast.  Most rounds in the .308 Winchester family of cartridges for example need a barrel from 18 to 20 inches to get a full burn of powder.  So, in a 15" Encore barrel, you are not getting a full burn and therefore not get "rifle performance" from a pistol.

Most of the Contender cartridges are "wildcats" that were developed for use in a short barrel.  What that means is that you can get the same performance with less powder, recoil and muzzle blast.  Don't believe me?  My 10.5" 7mmTCU (.223 necked up to 7mm) spits out a 120 grain Ballistic Tip bullet at around 1800 fps with a mild load of AA2460 (28.0 grains).  I also have a 12" 7-30 Waters barrel.  It spits out the same 120 grain bullet at around 1850 fps.  It also takes more powder to get it there (32.6 grains of IMR 3031).  So for roughly the same amount of energy the 7mmTCU is more efficient in the shorter barrels.
Now lets compare that to the 7mm-08.   A friend of mine has a RamPro chambered in 7mm08 and he gets about 2300 fps out of his 15 inch barrel.  If you figure about 40 fps per inch you can figure about 200 fps of the difference is made up by the difference in barrel lengths.  So, you really only gain about 300 fps worth of "performance" for that extra recoil and muzzle blast.  Is 300 fps worth it when you figure most of your shots are going to be within 200 yards anyway?  In my opinion, no.

All that being said, get something that you like and practice with it all the time.  Handgun hunting is nothing like rifle hunting.  It takes a lot of practice and a lot of patience to do it effectively.

Good luck and let us know how your search pans out.


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## GlassEyeJones (Jul 10, 2009)

.38 stubnose - HOORAH


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## Lostoutlaw (Jul 10, 2009)

READ THE QUESTION: he ask about Hand GUN not Rifle...


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## tbrown913 (Jul 10, 2009)

.500 S&W  next question???  for those that say you cant shoot small things with it, for squirrel hunting, just shoot the limb about 2 feet in front of it and you will bark the squirrel.


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## GlassEyeJones (Jul 10, 2009)

> READ THE QUESTION: he ask about Hand GUN not Rifle...



Eva seen an encore/contender? guess not.. LOL


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## StikR (Jul 10, 2009)

S&W 629 .44 magnum with 6" or 8 3/8" barrel should do it


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## yelojaket (Jul 10, 2009)

StikR said:


> S&W 629 .44 magnum with 6" or 8 3/8" barrel should do it




+1


I'm definitely in the S&W 44 Mag camp. Try to handle a few and then pick your pleasure...


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## HandgunHTR (Jul 10, 2009)

Lostoutlaw said:


> READ THE QUESTION: he ask about Hand GUN not Rifle...




READ THE ANSWERS:  No one was talking about rifles...


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## Dennis67 (Jul 24, 2009)

Buy a t/c the only one to have.


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## valley28 (Jul 25, 2009)

Originally Posted by StikR  
S&W 629 .44 magnum with 6" or 8 3/8" barrel should do it

+3. A 6" - 8 3/8" 44 mag revolver is hard to beat.


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## HotDog (Jul 25, 2009)

I think either the Encore or Contender would be a good choice. I own both and it is a very versatile system. You can start with calibers like the 44 Mag or 357 Max for deer hunting and add other barrels later for bigger game. This allows someone new to handgun hunting to concentrate on shot placement without the distraction of massive recoil and muzzle blast of the heavier calibers.
Like HandgunHTR said;


> get something that you like and practice with it all the time. Handgun hunting is nothing like rifle hunting. It takes a lot of practice and a lot of patience to do it effectively.


Now with that being said, I also use a Ruger Blackhawk Hunter in 44 Mag and it does a dandy job as well. It's just not as versatile.


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## Hoyt (Jul 26, 2009)

I've always liked the Freedom Arms .454. You could always shoot .45's in it on the low in and it's plenty for everything else around here except possibly the big bears...but they can be a possibility with a cannon. Also the Freedom Arms has to be one of the best looking handguns made.


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## redneckcamo (Jul 26, 2009)

the 454 casull  is a great choice !!!

from 45lc too hotter than you need in a reload in the 454casull case ...... very powerful round that can be tamed down for some great fun or a howitzer when ya need it


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## Nimrod71 (Jul 26, 2009)

The only one I can think of would be a custom tuned up Encore with 15 inch ported barrel in 45/70.  With this set up you can take on anything that walks.


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## dertiedawg (Jul 29, 2009)

44 mag in a revolver is my personal favorite.  Can take anything on the North American Continent if you have proper shot placement.  As previously said... practice, practice, practice.  Jumping into muzzleloading this year so I hope to get into the Encore sometime next year.


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## EMC-GUN (Jul 29, 2009)

25ACP, but don't use_ hardcast_ bullets, because everyone knows they aren't legal for use in GA.


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## auwalker24 (Jul 31, 2009)

I own the S&W .460 and love it. Very accurate up to very long distances. Not quite as much knock down as the .500 but MUCH faster!


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## Allen Waters (Jul 31, 2009)

smith or ruger in 44mag.


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## TreeFrog (Jul 31, 2009)

The S&W .460 gets my vote.  Also gives you multiple options since you can load and shoot some smaller rounds.


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## Goose 15 (Aug 16, 2009)

I use the Ruger new model Super Blackhawk in a .44 Magnum.You can use 180 or 240 grain bullets,depending on what you are hunting for or how far you want to reach out to it.


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## Squatch (Aug 16, 2009)

See if you can find a lone eagle, it has been off the market for abut 4 years now.  I have it in .22-250 (paire dog blasting) and yes .30-06 (do not get any magnum loads as it will not burn through the 13" barrel)  the .30-06 is a cannon but with the comp, it is highly accurate.  I love mine


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## snake hunter (Aug 17, 2009)

I would go with a S&W 460 . It uses 45LC,454 and 460, the perfect handgun


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## Darrell H (Aug 17, 2009)

If you don't want to spend alot, I would suggest a good .44 Mag or .45 Colt revolver.  If you don't care to spend over $1K I would suggest a Freedom Arms in .475 Linebaugh.  That will be one of my next purchases.  

I've got a .500 S&W revolver but don't care for the size of the big X-frame guns (since you mentioned .460).  That being said my .500 S&W be the weapon of choice next month on my Alaskan brown bear hunt.  Sometimes bigger is better!


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## Hunley (Aug 17, 2009)

Depends on the price range. A Ruger in .44 Mag is hard to beat, and built like a tank. Almost bought a new Redhawk for that exact reason. 

The only other thing I would even consider is the S&W 460. Like snake hunter said, it can shoot three different rounds that are all effective on what you will encounter in GA. .45LC for hogs, .454 for deer, and 460 for... cape buffalo?


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## Stu (Aug 17, 2009)

Thompson Center Contender with a 45-70 barrel.


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## duckshooter.76 (Aug 17, 2009)

*10mm*

I'd go w/ a 10mm Glock 20.


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## Barry Duggan (Oct 1, 2009)

Unless you are use to shooting large caliber handguns, don't jump in too deep. Although I went to .45 colts and 454 casulls, I still think a .44 mag., with a 6-7 1/2" barrel is not a bad way to go.


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## The Terminator (Oct 3, 2009)

You should read this, and see if it helps with your decision.  I have the same gun, though I would not feel bad with the 8 3/3 or maybe even the 6 inch barrel length models. 

http://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/gear/2007/09/ultimate-hunting-gun

I'd like to add, that I much prefer the 45 Colt/454 setup over the 44 mag.  You can get a lot more power from either if you handload.  The 44 mag is great for folks that would rather buy off the shelf or factory made ammo.  That said, the 44 mag is well known to be an extremely accurate round.  If you handload, the 45 Colt will shoot heavier bullets, with more power than a 44 is capable of delivering in over the shelf ammo.   1200 ft/lb loads are easily attainable with the 45 Colt.  It really is a wonderful cartridge.  I have one.  Mine has a 5 shot cylinder, rated for 50,000 psi, and will shoot loads capable of 1600 ft/lbs, if one has the guts to try it.   These loads can be found with a little research.  Dick Casull used 5 shot 45 Colts for research when coming up with the mighty 454, which is a stretched 45 Colt.  Only thing is, the 454 and 45 Colt offer a lot more recoil than the 500 mag.  Yes, thats right.  For the same energy, they shoot at a much higher pressure.  You can shoot a 38,000 psi load from the 500 mag that still wallops the 454 for energy, with the 454 needing 50,000 (or is it 60,000?) psi in order to get there.  FYI, psi is the commonly used new method for measuring pressure in ammunition, whereas copper units of pressure, cuprels, is the old method.


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## buffalohunter (Oct 7, 2009)

I do all my hunting with TC Encore or Contenders.

buffalohunter


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