What would you choose?

A

azredhawk44

Moderator
Goofy situation, but play along:

Mad cow disease has just run rampant thru rancher stocks of beef, making all domestic meat sources unsafe for consumption. As a relief valve, states have increased access to hog, deer and elk hunting, provided you use a handgun to take the game.

What handgun would you use to keep meat on the table for your family? Try to keep with a gun that you have at least shot once, since this is your family's health you are gambling with...And since this is a revolver forum (and auto "hunters" are very few and far between), keep it a revolver.

I'm gonna go with a .44 redhawk with a 7.5" barrel. I only have a 5.5" version, but the extra sight radius and barrel length would be nice for a dedicated hunting gun.
 
The only revolver I own in this catagory would be s&w 57 6" in .41 mag, Ive taken big game at 85 yds with this gun.Altho a .44 mag is highly thought of I prefer the .41.I own .45's and the like but don't consider them having enough power for big game at any distance.At moderate ranges a .357 would be o.k.
 
Ruger Bisley in .41 magnum. My 5.5" model has never been in the field, but the 7.5" model has put meat in the freezer quite a few times.
 
I would be able to put meat on the table with the S&W 686, 4" .357 Mag that I have right now, if it came down to that. But I would really rather have my father's old .357 Mag Ruger Blackhawk, 6 1/2", which my sister has now. One like it is on my "to get" list.

There's no real point in going with anything more that that around here -- the deer around here aren't all that big anyway. And a .357 loaded properly will also do the trick on feral hogs. There aren't any elk anywhere near here, so that isn't an issue. Add to that the ability to use the same revolver loaded down with light .38 Spl for small game use, and I don't think I'll have any real problem keeping meat on the table.

About the only thing around here that I'd be somewhat undergunned against would be the occasional black bear -- I wouldn't go out of my way to try and bag one with a .357 Mag, besides that there just aren't that many of them around here anyway.
 
I've seen one of those, the trigger felt pretty clean on that smith .22. I know I could keep a fair diet of bunnies on the table, but I would worry about deer and larger game, even taking head shots within 50 yards.
 
Just to be sure I hit what I was shooting at either my Smith Wesson 29-2, or my Smith Wesson 629 Mountain Gun.:eek: For you Ruger fans, they are both .44 Magnums...:D
 
If I can't kill it with my PC 627 .357 Magnum then either I shouldn't be shooting at it, or it shouldn't be dead! Dennis
 
Its a tough one between my 6" GP100 in 357Mag and my Ruger RH in 44Mag. I tend to be more accurate with my Ruger and know the trajectory with my 357 hunting loads a little better than the 44. So I guess I would use my GP100 as shot-placement is one of the most important aspects of killing stuff. With that said, I've never lost any game shot with my GP100. Load a 158gr. JHP or JSP to 1400-1500fps and it brings down game pretty well. Use a 180-200gr. HC on the tougher-boned stuff. One of my hunting practices is to load 3 hot JHP loads for broad-side shots and 3 hot HC loads in case of that not-perfect shot that we are stuck with many times. My experience has shown me that 200gr. at 1200-1300fps busts bone up pretty well.
 
Ruger Super Blackhawk 10.5" stainless 44 mag firing 240 grain soft points or hollow points for deer and my Ruger Super Redhawk in 44 mag firing 300 grain soft points for hogs and elk. josh
 
Sticking with your criterea, it'd have to be my S&W model 28. Given my druthers though it'd be a 5.5" Ruger Blackhawk .45 Colt. I could use the 45 ACP cylinder for cheap practice and the gun would still be able to handle the hottest .45 Colt loads.
 
My great great uncle "Doc" only wore shoes in the harshest of winter, and parked his model t several miles outside a town of a thousand people for fear of being crowded in traffic. He farmed and kept his extensive family fed with deer using nothing but .22 shorts. If you can sit in a tree with a bow and have the deer walking beneath you, why couldn't you use the .22? I killed a 300 pound hog with a .22 pistol... I was treed on a fence and shot straight down on the soft spot at the back of her head. It just sat down for a while and I jumped down and slit it's throat. I'll stick to the .22
 
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