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Handgun hunting

Benelliblaster

Benelliblaster

New Member
Cant make up my mind on what revolver I want for deer. I stand hunt in gun season on my own and wanna try a handgun this year, any opionions? I was leanin towards a .357 but have been told by a few guys to go bigger like a .41 or .44? Thanks fellas.
 
Shot my first handgun deer with a .357. Very small hole, no blood. Thankfully it was a good shot and the deer didn't go far. I've since shot a couple with a .44 and much better results as far as the blood and carnage goes. I'd step up for sure. Plus, would you rather say you carry a .357 mag or a .44 mag? The .44 mag gets a lot more oos and aws! But that's beside the point.
 
Ive seen a handful shot with a .357 and I would reccomend .41mag 44 mag. Or 454 cas.
I've shot a few does with a 45 acp and I wouldnt do it again. They were all very Close clean shots and put the deer down but has a serious lack of power.
 
I had a .357 Mag for a while, carried it a time or two but never shot a deer with it. Sold it.

When I started looking for a replacement, I went with the .44 Mag since I thought I would be carrying it out west while bow hunting. I might try deer hunting with it if I shotgun hunt in Iowa this year.
 
Perfect thanks guys, was lookin at the .454 as well maybe thats the way to go. You can shoot .45 LC through a .454 correct? That would make for less expensive plinkin I suppose. Anybody have any expierence with the Raging Bulls by taurus? They look pretty mean.
 
I had a Raging Bull 454 from Taurus, it was a very nice gun. Shot a few does with it with no problems. Got the fever for more power and sold it for what I consider the ultimate Iowa Deer Handgun - a Smith & Wesson 460 Magnum Custom Shop pistol. The 460 is super fast and accurate. Shot a 167" buck a few years back at 127 yds and he only went about 10 feet.

You can shoot 45 Long Colt in the 454 and you can shoot both 45LC and 454 in the 460 gun so it is very versatile.
 
I've not shot the raging bull but I don't like the feel of holding it. Feels kind of cheap to me. I went with the Taurus model 44 with a 6.5" barrel. Love it. One thing to really consider if you want to bump up to the 454 is the price difference between the ammo for that and the 44 is quite a bit.
 
Benelliblaster said:
Perfect thanks guys, was lookin at the .454 as well maybe thats the way to go. You can shoot .45 LC through a .454 correct? That would make for less expensive plinkin I suppose. Anybody have any expierence with the Raging Bulls by taurus? They look pretty mean.
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Skip the "turdus" and look at some of the better manufacturers.
I've heard nothing but problems with taurus and the larger calibers.
Do it right the first time and get the S&W 460V.
 
I knew this was the right place to ask questions. Gonna call gander in CR and see if they have the .460 xvr in stock for me to fondle. I believe they do layaway on guns to? The wife will like that.
 
So ya need a 454 to kill a whitetail?...that thing could bring down a cape buffalo. .jeez....guys are killing great deer with way smaller calibers consistently....u wanna spend dumb money on a canon..or spend smart money on something that works just fine..you do t need to be the coolest in the woods with a big gun...yiu need to be the smartest...it aint the arrows ya throw. .its the indian whos throwing them....u guys are hilarious on this site.
 
A .41 mag is lower recoil than a .44 and is faster and flatter. .41 mag is a nice caliber. Either one is not a bad choice.
 
Sniper said:
So ya need a 454 to kill a whitetail?...that thing could bring down a cape buffalo. .jeez....guys are killing great deer with way smaller calibers consistently....u wanna spend dumb money on a canon..or spend smart money on something that works just fine..you do t need to be the coolest in the woods with a big gun...yiu need to be the smartest...it aint the arrows ya throw. .its the indian whos throwing them....u guys are hilarious on this site.
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Whats wrong with a little extra gun? Rather have more than I need than not enough...
 
Shot a doe with a 357 and the trail was sparse and the hole small.
Shot a doe with a 41 mag and that did the trick for sure.

This year I'm trying a 44 mag for grins.
 
Benelliblaster said:
Whats wrong with a little extra gun? Rather have more than I need than not enough...
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I 22 cal is enough....and some pellet riffles could dump a whitetail now days...come on....seems like every needs more blood and a bigger hole....back in the day nobody had rages and huge diameter heads...when u think u need something more devastating and bigger I personally think that person sucks at hitting stuff correctly is all....u can hit a deer in the ankle with broadheads these days and they will fall over. Shoot smart and you will find your animal...it dont take much to kill one.
 
Sniper said:
I 22 cal is enough....and some pellet riffles could dump a whitetail now days...come on....seems like every needs more blood and a bigger hole....back in the day nobody had rages and huge diameter heads...when u think u need something more devastating and bigger I personally think that person sucks at hitting stuff correctly is all....u can hit a deer in the ankle with broadheads these days and they will fall over. Shoot smart and you will find your animal...it dont take much to kill one.
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Well now, your handle would make you a pretty big hypocrite then, wouldn't it? 5.56 gets the job done but we're still packing .308's .338's and .50 bmg's.. hmmm
 
muddy said:
Shot a doe with a 357 and the trail was sparse and the hole small.
Shot a doe with a 41 mag and that did the trick for sure.

This year I'm trying a 44 mag for grins.
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If you bought the S&W 500 in the classifieds you'll have to sell your 41 and 44 to pay for the ammo for it. :grin:
 
I've shot a couple nice does with a .357 and they both dropped in their tracks...one at 20 yards and the other at 70. My grandpa has shot them out to at least 100 yards with little tracking to do. Just sayin.
 
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