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Hand cannon ....

5165 Views 34 Replies 20 Participants Last post by  Vagrant, 
A
Anyone here ever hunt with a handgun and if so what make, model and caliber.

Reason I asked is I just picked up a Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter in 44 mag, and I'm a little scared. :)
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M
I used to do a little deer hunting with a Ruger Redhawk in .41 rem mag.

Elaborate on scared??!?
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A
I've never fired a 44 mag ... 357 mag yes, 45 long colt and 45acp yes, 44 special yes ... but never the big 44 mangum. I have a fear of having hammer marks in my forehead.(well not really) but I know they have a pretty nasty recoil

I know that there are several nastier calibers such as the 454 caussal *sp the ruger 480 and the new .50 s&w.

Just wondering if anyone was willing to share any experiences.
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iwoodbutcher
Hi AG,
I have used my Ruger Redhawk in .44 cal.. The only problem is I have never had the oppertunity to fire it at a whitetail. I limit myself to 35 yds. and under only due to my self confidence in hitting my target. I have practiced at 50 to 60 yds. but know I can make a good shot at 35 yds. I practice mostly with .44 special and then shoot some .44 mag. before I go hunting to make sure my sights are still the same. A .44 mag. handgun should do well on deer under 50yds. Shot placement should be number one! Hey, this means I get to go to the range and practice, practice, practice. Thanks for reminding me to go and shoot more! I am sure someone who has shot a game animal can tell you more, but I do enjoy shooting mine and hope you will like shooting your .44 Rem. mag..
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M
Don't worry about recoil, I was shooting a Blackhawk in 44 mag at 18 years old , I was 5'7" and 125 pounds , it was quite managable.
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S
Recoil on that is piece o cake :D Many worse.

I hunt pretty hard with the .45 Colt in a Bowen-built Ruger Redhawk, and a Linebaugh built B'Hawk. I love them. The 325 grain Buffalo Bore ammo has proven itself well to me. The recoil with that does clear your nasal passages.

Also hunt with a T/C in .35 Rem. It hurts.

Congrats on the .44 maggie! It is a fine caliber.
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G
I use a D. Wesson 44 Mag., 10 inch tube with a 4X scope and a 240 gr bullett. I practice at the 100 yd range and can keep them in a 7 inch circle. However, I take a range finder with me and stay within the 75 yd range. I have taken one spike elk with it at 60 yards. When it comes time to pull the trigger you wont be worried about the kick. The addrenalin (Sp) is pumping pretty good and your more worried about where your setting your cross hairs for good shot placement.

The knock down power for this gun is great but I do not trust my shooting enough to go for a longer than 75 yard shot. I dont want to injure the animal. I prefer a good clean kill. If I do not think I can make the shot (even with a rifle) I will let the animal go, there will be other times.
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Salmoneye
I hunt with my 7 1/2 inch Super-Blackhawk .44 Mag...No sweat...

Want a real 'hand-cannon', move up to a Contender or Encore...

I have 2 barrels for my Contender...One is a custom shop 12 inch .357 Herrett...Wildcat made from a necked up and cut down .30-30 case...Actually pushing more muzzle energy than factory .30-30 in a rifle...

The 2nd barrel I have is a 10 inch 'hunter' .45-70 which has a TC factory muzzle-brake...That one I load up with 350 grain round-nose Hornadys...That one will give you a headache if you don't watch out ;)

The .45-70 is intimidating, but not impossible...The .44 Mag is a pussycat in comparison...
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G
=============================================== ............ A.G. ... A ways back (1960's) I used an early model super black hawk in the Mohave' desert of California to hand take jackrabbits with. ... It proved itself very efficient out to 100 yards with open sights and using my naked eye. ... The gun's report takes some getting used to and you had best wear some ear protection if you are doing your test firing in an inclosed space. ... As to the gun's recoil, well, stories have been built up around it and it is mostly fiction, the gun is quite manageable actually. ... In the early model I had I always had to keep a small gunsmith's screwdriver in my pocket to retighten the gun's screws after practice fire'ing it as it would shoot itself loose, perhaps the newer ones have overcome this problem. ... I think that there is the potential to have a great deal of fun and pleasure in the ownership and fire'ing of this particular firearm, if you keep your expectations realilistic. ... Above all else, believe in yourself, that you can handle this much gun, you can! ... Just focus, focus, focus.

===============================================
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L
Taurus Raging Bull 454, not a problem. You point it at a hog and it dies from fear...

Saves on ammo that way.
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G
For the past few years I hunted with a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44mag. I only used open sites on it, but my dad uses a red dot on his Super Redhawk and it works excellent.
This year I decided I needed something bigger and more powerful than the .44 mag. I bought a brand new Savage Striker .308 Stainless. 14" floating barrel, syntetic grip, 3 shot cap, and a 2-6x30 scope. It's a blast to shoot and I plan on taking a few deer with it this year!

Striker Site
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M
Ruger Super Redhawk in 480 Ruger. Carried it once last year for dear hunting but never had the chance to shoot it. Hopefully this year will be different.
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N
I've got a couple Ruger .44mags, one of them in the Super blackhawk, the recoil in the SBH is hard, but nothing uncontrollable by any means, pretty much any grown man should be able to handle it from a gun that weighs that much. I shoot a lot of handguns, so I may be biased, but I don't think it should be a problem...if you're that worried, buy a box or two of .44spcls and get used to the gun, then step up to the mags when you're ready. Wear ear plugs and muffs always, you WILL go deaf if you don't, I lost all hearing in my left ear for three days, and permanently lost 15% of the hearing in my left ear from the first box in that .44mag (I shoot one handed with my left).

In fact, the Ruger SBH .44mag was the first handgun that I ever owned, got it for my 15th b-day...I'm a farm boy with strong hands and stronger body, but for a beginning handgunner, the ruger wasn't bad at all.
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mcbirch
I picked up a Ruger BlackHawk a few weeks ago. Its chambered in 357 Magnum and has and extra cylinder to convert to and fire 9mm parabelum. I will probably do some whitetail deer hunting this year with it. I have the 6.5 inch barrel and it makes for a fairly accurate but still very comfortable to carry on your hip.

Later
mcb
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b540glenn
I have a Ruger GP100 w/ a 6" bbl. I use the Remmington Express 180gr SJHP rounds. Where I've been hunting the longest shot would be about 50 yards. I have yet to get a shot off at a deer though.
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K
A local gun trader I know was at a gun show and saw a lever action pistol for 350.00 and the dealer said it was worth alot more but couldn't sell it because of the chambering. It was a .375H&H Magnum :shock: He bought the pistol and took it home and never shot it. Well one day his son-in law decided he would shoot it and when he did it broke his thumb. I think the pistol was a maximum or something like that , not really sure of the name.
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A
Well I was looking around and found this .... take a look and cringe at the recoil prespects of this insane handgun.

Scary!!!
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M
Scary?!?! A revolver in .600 NE? I gotta have one, that looks FUN!
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P
My hands and wrists stared weeping when I saw that thing :shock:, a handgun in 600 NE :wink:
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A
Just noticed that it weighs 6.5 Kilograms. That is a 14.3 pound handgun. I don't wanna lug that around as snake protection! :wink:
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