Question about handgun hunting

One thing not well touched on so far, is that sport hunting is just that. It is a sport. All of the rules, about what can be used where, on what, when are what make it a sport.

Most people have no idea how far you can hit things with a common handgun, let alone a specialized long range one.

Efficiency is a necessary thing, but once you reach "good enough to work" it becomes a matter of choice, rather than need.

Dynamite is a very efficient means of harvesting fish, but its generally not allowed, because fishing is also a sport.
 
Dynamite? Nah, just a small hand crank generator will do.

And in a survival situation, I most surely would use it if I had to.

As for how far people can shoot and their knowledge thereof, not many people know how far they can shoot a rifle either.

All boils down to your knowledge of your skill set and what you an do with what you have.

As Tzu said, "if you know your enemy and not yourself you will lose 1/2 of the time." Same goes in reverse. Only if you know yourself and your enemy (or game) will you be 100 percent successful.

Deaf
 
Manta49:
I don't know anyone that can be as consistently as accurate with handgun compared to a rifle.
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One of life's little pleasures is showing up at a 200 yard range with the hunters getting ready for hunting season. The plate targets are everywhere. I put up a 2" orange target pull out a pistol and just keep hitting the little orange dot. To be fair I'm using a 223 super 14 TC with a 2-6 scope. The pistol is bi-podded.:eek:
 
Don't need to be as accurate as a rifle as long as you are accurate enough to place the bullet where it's needed to bring down the game (and powerful enough to penetrate deep.)

You just have to know your limitations and hunt within them.

Say if you can't do better than a 6 inch group at 25 yards, then hunt in the swamps and brush where shots are 25 yards or less.

A wise hunter, guardedness of the weapon used, knows what he can do with it and stays inside his limitations.

Deaf
 
I don't know anyone that can be as consistently as accurate with handgun compared to a rifle.
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I know I can shoot a smaller group at longer range with a rifle than I can with most of my handguns. Offhand, one handed, I can regularly ring the 200yd gong on my local range. Shooting the same handgun(s) from a rest I can keep my shots on a paper plate at that distance. With a rifle from a rest at that distance, I can keep my shots on a playing card. (and half that with good gun and ammo)

So, yes, I am more accurate with a rifle. Shooting a woodchuck at that distance, it matters. A deer, not so much.

Meaning, if I can shoot a handgun and keep my shots in the vital area of a deer (and whatever distance) the fact that I can shoot a smaller group with a rifle at that distance doesn't matter.
 
Like I said before, there are lot of 500 yard guns be carried around by 100 yard shooters.


A while back somebody asked how well their kid should have to be able to shoot to take deer hunting, and I heard all these magical numbers of what distance he should be able to hit a paper plate, and I still have the same answer. If he can put them in the zone at 15 feet, than take him hunting and restrict his shots to 15 feet. He can still be an ethical and humane hunter, experience the joys of hunting, and learning to hunt better, even though his chances are slim, today. Bet I can be more consistant witha pistol at 30 yards than you can with a rifle at 300. :D
 
Manta49:
Quote:
I don't know anyone that can be as consistently as accurate with handgun compared to a rifle.
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I've let people shoot my 7mm International Contender who had never fired one before, and they were able to hit drink cans at 100 yds with every shot.

Your statement says nothing about guns and a lot about the people you know
 
To the OP- Your friends point becomes rather silly when you consider modern handguns. If you want to go after whitetail with a 38 special is one thing. But most guys use a 44mag or in my case a 460mag. I have as much energy +- hitting the game as a 30-06 all the way out to 300yds. At a 100yds its MOA accurate.
 
I've let people shoot my 7mm International Contender who had never fired one before, and they were able to hit drink cans at 100 yds with every shot.

Your statement says nothing about guns and a lot about the people you know
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If you read my earlier post below. Do most people hunt with specialised rifle calibre handguns. ?

manta49 post 22.
And I don't know anyone that can be as consistently as accurate with handgun compared to a rifle. Now that depends a bit on the type and calibre of handgun we are talking about, what type of handgun are we talking about.
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As it turns out, now it is a mute point because the Department of Conservation has evidently observed the demise of real muzzled loader hunting by the modern hi tech equipment, and replaced it with an alternative methods season where not only muzzle loaders, but cartridge firing hand guns can be used. So now if I want to I can use the same TC Contender, Ruger Super Blackhawk, or Glock G20 I sometime use during the regular firearms season.
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That was a very good move by Dept of Conservation especially since I don't care much for black powder shooting, but love the challenge of using a handgun in the woods.

Yes, a rifle and probably a modern smoke pole is probably more accurate than a handgun at 100yds for most shooters. But as 44Amp suggested, it's a sport and a challenge is what I seek, not the meat and certainly not blood lust.

Debating what to do with a pesky raccoon hitting my bird feeders at night...... getting to be a pain in the butt and may opt to warm up one of my 22's. Don't have a box trap large enough for a coon and I'm not going to buy one for one raccoon.
 
Nothing stupid about it at all.

Tell your friend to lock into a long barreled Ruger Super Redhawk, pushing 240 grain Speer Gold Dot Hollow point or, Hornady's XTP's, with a stout load of 21 grains of 2400 so, he can see just how effect they are. I haven't had a deer take a STEP yet. No romance or nostalgia involved. Just sheer results. If that's stupid than I'm guilty as charged. God BLess
 
If you read my earlier post below. Do most people hunt with specialised rifle calibre handguns. ?
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Many handgun hunters do in Contenders, Encores and XP-100's

Others use revolvers like my Dan Wesson 44 VH 8 that will easily shoot 3" groups at 100 yds

The deer die the same from all of them
 
Others use revolvers like my Dan Wesson 44 VH 8 that will easily shoot 3" groups at 100 yds
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What a firearm is capable of is not the only point, it can shoot 1 inch groups at 200 yards but the person shooting it might not be able to his a barn door at 20 yards. PS If someone can consistently shoot a 3 inch group free hand at 100 yards they should be in the Olympics.

The deer die the same from all of them
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No one it disputing they are capable of killing, its if they are the most effective and humane way of killing.
 
its if they are the most effective and humane way of killing.
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No, its not.

And we are up to 4 pages of people telling you this, and you are still stuck on that question.

The OP's friend is stuck in the "I can't do it / I don't want to do it, there fore its stupid / inhumane / wrong, etc, and people shouldn't do it" mindset. HE is also wrong.

Once you pass the minimum needed for an effective and humane kill, "more efficient" is a moot point. And what those minimum standard are, is determined by the game laws. If you happen to believe it requires more, you are free to use more, but you are not allowed to use less, no matter what you believe. And these rules are set by the game depts., NOT based on what a very skilled hunter can do, but based on what the average hunter has shown themselves to do.

They take into account many factors, including what fails most, in most people's hands, and set the standards accordingly.

There are many handguns that do not meet the legal minimums. There are many that do, and some that exceed the legal requirements by a considerable amount.

There are handguns that exceed some rifles capabilities, and some that match some rifles capabilities. Some of them fire rifle cartridges. The power, and the range to take deer cleanly and humanely exist in many handguns.

THIS IS A FACT.

No amount of opinion can change that. The only place for opinion is in the personal decision of whether or not YOU are capable of using them well enough to achieve a clean humane kill. And that applies to everything you might use to hunt with, no matter the tool chosen.

People still hunt with bows, and pointed sticks, and even rocks, in the manner of our ancient ancestors.

Flying over a mountain is probably the most efficient way of getting to the other side. Why then do people climb and hike over mountains? It is for the personal enjoyment of testing their skills, and the satisfaction of success when its not "easy".

Handgun hunting involves overcoming additional challenges that rifle hunting does not. That's why we do it. IF you don't understand that, additional explanation probably won't enlighten you.
 
Handgun hunting involves overcoming additional challenges that rifle hunting does not. That's why we do it. IF you don't understand that, additional explanation probably won't enlighten you.
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I understand that, we have a different view on hunting. I don't do it for sport but if it's a necessity. So for me its not for my pleasure, so I use the best tool to do it as humanely and efficiently as possible and that's a rifle, if others want to use handguns go for it.

There are handguns that exceed some rifles capabilities, and some that match some rifles capabilities. Some of them fire rifle cartridges. The power, and the range to take deer cleanly and humanely exist in many handguns.
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Yes I know read my earlier post below, the rifle calibre handguns are not what most people most people use for handgun hunting I would suggest. Most of the suggestions posted regarding handguns and calibers would to use would back that.

manta49 post 22.
And I don't know anyone that can be as consistently as accurate with handgun compared to a rifle. Now that depends a bit on the type and calibre of handgun we are talking about, what type of handgun are we talking about.
Click to expand...
 
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