"Hand Rifles"--Practical or Laughable--Your Thoughts Please!

S

San Francisquito Bill

New member
Howdy all!

Well, I've been debating a new hunting arm, and we have a couple Remington XP-100's in the store. I always thought they were awkward for a handgun, and practically innacurate compared to a rifle, but after handling it, I have to admit that I really like the feel!

In light of this, I have two questions:

1. What are the advantages/disadvantages of one of these "hand-rifles" in terms of the uses as listed below?

2. I would like to get as versatile a caliber for the animals that I plan to hunt as I possibly can. I plan to hunt varmints, hogs, and possibly some deer in the future. I figure that the .243 would be a good compromise, but does anyone have any other ideas? What would the max-range be with a handgun like the XP-100 and would I be better off just getting a varmint rifle like a Remington VLS? (It would be much less comfy to carry around!)

P.S.-- I already have a Rifle in .308 (Savage 10FP) and .30-06 (Ruger M77), so I don't need to fill those niches.

Thanks everyone!
 
Mechanically they are as asccurate as similar rifles, if you shoot them from a rest or bipod practical accuracy will match rifles.

IMO the 243 from a handgun is not a deer cartridge, but the deer up here in MN are full sized.

Have you considered the TC Contender or Encore? The Encore is supposed to shoot MOA and you can get it chambered in real rifle cartridges.
 
I have been shooting XP's for years. Under the right conditions, they are every bit as accurate as a rifle of similar barrel length. As to hunting with any handgun, keep in mind that you will rarely have an opportunity for the perfect setup prior to a shot. You will need considerable practice. However, if you do your part, the XP will do the rest.

As to chambering, a 243 would be fine, but I would suggest you consider the new Remington 260. Hope this helps
 
"Hand rifles" can be just as accurate as a full-sized rifle - ask about my Contender & deliver some pretty amazing terminal ballistics.

One great advantage of them is that you don't carry nearly as much weight.

A distinct disadvantage is that you're still shooting a pistol, which due to the limitations of the shooter (stance, etc. thrown in), field accuracy can suffer. I have a hell of a time shooting anything better than 6"/100 yds unless I drop down into a sitting position & braced on my kness.

Real drag about that is that I sometimes then lose the sight vantage, etc. - can be frustrating. Shooting off a stand would be a snap.

Still, for better field accuracy, I'll choose the rifle - it's my limitation, not the pistol's.
 
I've taken several nice deer with a T/C chambered in .257JDJ. JD Jones' line of catridges are worth taking a look at.
 
Ditto on JDJ. I've a TC in .309 & is a beaut.

But, with Encore's line, I'd think you'll get very similar performance with off-the-shelf loadings/calibers.
 
My dad loves his T/C Encore (he has since converted it to a rifle). Great weapon, as accurate as any rifle,but... where's the handgun challenge? I shoot a Super Blackhawk when deer hunting for the challenge of range and sight limitation of a 10" sight radius. I don't see a scoped "short rifle" as being any different than a long rifle in the challenge department. In other words, they've got more in common with a rifle than a handgun.
As far as question 2, .243 might be a little light for hogs, though probably adequate for deer. I would suggest 7mm-08 though the 6.5-08 (260 Rem) is a great cartridge too.
Good hunting.
 
Here in Indiana a handgun chambered in a rifle cartrige makes sense for deer because modern cartrige rifles are prohibited for hunting deer. Your choices are shotguns, handguns, or blackpowder. I have a friend who hunts deer with at TC Contender in .45-70.

I have toyed with the idea of making a pistol grip stock for a rifle. You would have to shoot it from a stand using a bi-pod but it would allow very long shots. Obiviously you would need to have another weapon for any deer that came in real close. It is just an example of the crazy ideas we think up to get around the rules.
 
Andrew:
You might also want to check your state regulations as to what defines a pistol. Most of the time it is by length, not if it has a pistol handle on it.
 
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