44 mag, 454 or larger handgun

Hello all, this is my first post on this site. Am looking to start hunting whitetail with a handgun instead of my rifle. I have been shooting handguns and reloading for many years, but have never hunted. I do have an old single action 44 mag. but would like to get a different gun for hunting. I have been looking at either a new 44 mag or larger. What advise could anyone give me with my needs. I will be shooting most likely under 100 yards. I have looked at the 454 and 480. I realize that there will be consideralbe recoil, but that doesn't bother me. I just want a calibur that will have the velocity and energy to make a good kill on a whitetail or something larger if I decide in the future to try my hand. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks Dave

Here are my 2cents worth...If you want a revolver a 44 mag with good bullets will do everything you mentioned.If you want a pistol an encore or stiker in 7mm-08 or 308 win would do nicely...especially topped with a nice 2-7 or larger scope.

The 44, 454, and 480 are all excellent rounds for what you are looking at doing. What I would focus upon is what type of recoil do you prefer, more straight back in the hand as double action revolvers typically produce, or the pronounced roll common to most single action revolvers?

Once you have settled that issue, the only other question is how much you want to spend?

I prefer the recoil of double action revolvers, and in fact I now hunt primarily with customized Desert Eagles pistols in 357mg, 44mag, and 50AE, and with customized Glocks in 10mm and 9mm. A different sort of recoil to be sure, and less pronounced than either style of revolver action

S&W and Freedom Arms are the two companies I'd look at depending upon preference of revolver action. I have tried all others, and by the time I was done tinkering with other brands to make them as I wanted them to be, I could have simply purchased a higher end S&W Performance Center gun or Freedom Arms revolver and had what I wanted right out of the box.

In my opinion you can not go wrong with the Ruger hunter model SBH in .44. Price, performace,EVERYTHING. The most "BANG" for your $buck$. I am very new to handgun hunting also, and the one thing I know for sure is there is several good firearms you can pick & be in the "Meat".

Good Luck,

I truly think the 44 mag will do everything that you want it to do and more. You could use 240 grain bullets for deer then switch to 300 grainers for the big stuff. You could even shoot some good cast bullets and get the job done. The hardest decisions will be to pick the revolver that is just right for you. There are many choices: Ruger SA/DA, S&W, FA and Colt. Persnally, I would pick either the S&W or FA but that's just my preference. Good luck.

My first post as well. Been viewing for awhile though. A .44mag with the proper 300 grain bullet will handle any whitetail you may encounter. I shoot F/A 454s because of the added power and most importantely the accuracy. If you are leaning towards the 454 then stick with the F/A guns, yes they are that good! Any reasonalble (Ruger, Smith etc.) .44mag will do but if you plan on hotrodding the 44 then take longevity into account. I have a model 29 as well and it serves me well but I do not go over 240grn while my Casulls have a steady diet of 300-335 grn bullets at max do not miss a beat. I'd highly recommend the SSK T'SOB mount for any and all 454 level applications; they do not come loose! Good luck and stay safe!

I'll second the vote for the Ruger SBH Hunter. I have a couple of them and all are great shooters. A 300 gr. bullet will handle a lot more than a whitetail too.

My advice to you would be to take that old single action that you already have and try your hand at handgun hunting before dropping a lot of money on something that may or may not be your bag. Like most, you will likely have a full blown case of handgun hunting fever once you have taken your first game with a handgun. However, take what you have that is already paid for and give it a run. The .44 Mag with a 240 hard cast or jacketed bullet will do the job.

That "old" .44 Magnum will harvest about any game you wish in the lower 48 states using the regular "old" 240gr load...jacketed HP or cast bullet. My concern would be a sighting system regardless of which model you currently have or wish to upgrade to. If you plan on shooting to 100 yards then a scope is most certainly an option you need to look at. I consider myself an "ok" shot with a iron sighted six gun and would only consider taking shots at game at less than 60 yards...I can hit better than that but I want a first shot kill from any shooting position. But scoped...that range doubles with a revolver...100 yards is then not a problem. My scoped revolvers are both Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunters...a .44 Mag and a .45LC...both wear Weaver optics and are SUPER accurate. Fifty yards groups are under 2" using heavy cast bullets.

That was a great article. I use a Ruger SRH in .44 mag and have total confidence in it. I let my dad borrow it and he got two deer with it. He said it performed nicely...but I'm still waiting to get a shot at my first.