Handgun hunting/hiking gun

Hey everyone! New to the forum, I?m looking for some input/ advice about choosing my next firearm. .357 revolver or 10mm. As for hunting I?m in MN and my shots are right around 60 yards at most. Mainly for whitetail and black bear. Any input would be great. These two rounds, I feel I can easily afford to practice twice a week with and not go broke. Thanks everyone!

Do you prefer revolvers or autos?

Welcome to the forum! Get them both! You're only lying to yourself if you think you'll only have one for the rest of your life!

I haven?t put much thought into reloading as of yet, and yes I will eventually have both. And plus some. I have shot more 1911 then anything else, but I love the simplicity of a revolver. Do you think the 1911 platform can and will hold up to the 10mm?s wraith? I will look into the 45 colt. Thanks!

I like them both, I think each platform has its own benefits. My two favorite platforms are the 1911, and the revolver. The only revolver I own is 340 pro. I have shot others.

There are some excellent 1911 style pistols and there are some great 357 revolvers. I would say whatever you are most comfortable with. I am also a big fan of the 45 Colt if that is an option.

IF YOU DON'T RELOAD, AND YOU SAY YOU CAN EASILY AFFORD TO PRACTICE TWICE A WEEK WITH EITHER A 357 OR A 10mm, HOW MUCH 10mm DID YOU INHERIT? OR DO YOU OWN THE 10mm AMMO FACTORY? SINCE YOU ARE PROFICIENT WITH THE 1911 THE LOGICAL CHOICE IS THE 10mm BUT WE ARE NOT ABOUT LOGIC AND GUNS HERE. YOU NEED TO GET INTO REVOLVERS AND A 357 IS A GOOD CHOICE AS A STARTER REVOLVER IN A MEDIUM TO LARGE FRAME (NO MODEL 19's, etc.). EVENTUALLY YOU NEED TO GET INTO RELOADING AND 45 COLT REVOLVERS.

Well, if you want a .357 then what you need is a pair of Smiths, a 686 and a 617. You can shoot to your hearts content with the .22 and then it is pretty easy to pick up the .357 and all you need to do is get use to the different recoil as the gun will feel very familiar. How many rounds of .357 will it take to pay for a 617?

When I use to be the receiving manager at Cabelas, a couple cases of 10mm were damaged. And we were not able to sell them to the public. So I bought them just because it was a good deal. At that time I had little knowledge of what the 10mm was. But can?t pass up 2300 rounds for 420. And practicing for me is maybe a box of 50 each session. I currently work at federal right now!

I have seriously thought about doing this for myself!!!

Can't beat that deal with a stick.
Either will work for MN bear/deer with the right bullet/load.
It probably boils down to your choice of platform.
You can get a Ruger Blackhawk in 10mm/40S&W with a 4 5/8" barrel.
The smith combo that was mentioned for 22 and 357. You can also do a similar combo with the Ruger GP100.

In addition to the discussion about platform, you can also spend a lot of time thinking about barrel length and pack-ability. It only works if you have it with you and easily accessible for hiking and hunting.

Another approach is to get one, shoot it for a while and then get another and another and another until you figure out exactly what you want. In that case 10mm seems to make sense. There have been a fair amount of posts about both the 357 and 10mm here in the last couple years that can help add details to the discussion.

I have shot a couple thousand rounds through my .357 mag and love it. It is a good choice butt I too had to have a 10mm. First in a rock island 1911, which i traded for the GLOCK 40. My experience with 1911s is limited butt my take is that literally every 1911 in 10mm butt my rock island is a good choice. It broke twice with less than 200 rounds fired in it.also it was a pain in the ass to take down thuss the trade to a glock.Great gun runs flawless butt ugly as sin lol. I just ordered a ruger blackhawk in 10mm /.40 s&w for the same reason way prettier lol. They have that revolver or if you prefer double action they have the super redhawk in a shorter barrel or just saw it in a 7 1/2 in barrel. Whatever you decide happy hunting and enjoy fellow Minnesotan!😁

For your stated use, I would suggest a Stainless Ruger Blackhawk revolver. Bull strong and simplicity defined. I was going to suggest the .357 since you don't currently reload as 38 special practice ammo is relatively inexpensive. Since you have that large stash of 10mm I think I would go that route. 40 S&W ammo for practice is also pretty cheap. I have not had any personal experience with the Blackhawk 10/40 convertible but imagine it is a good gun. The caliber would handle your needs.

Really can't go wrong with either caliber and the Blackhawk is in my mind nearly the perfect outdoorsman's revolver.

Good luck in your choice. The thrill is in the "hunt".

Dan

This just might be the perfect compromise, simplicity of a revolver and chambered in the 10mm. Ruger also chambers the SRH in 10mm but it is a big gun for the purpose.

I'd skip the pretenders and a 44 Magnum.

Those blackhawks look nice, I?m going shooting in the morning with a couple guys, my one friend has 586 L-comp and Blackhawk in 45 colt. And then of course a glock 20 gen4

your not going to go wrong with a 44 mag,or a45 colt, the 10mm is a good round, I traded my Glock 20 for a Remington R-11 Long slide hunter, I have no regrets!

I have a Glock 20 and also a Super BlackHawk Hunter in .44 Mag. I'd gladly trade my Glock for a second BlackHawk in 10mm. The Lipsey's 10/40 would be a handy gun and serve lots of purposes.

Just food for thought.

So shooting revolvers was a blast!! The .357 revolver that we were shooting would make a great carry gun for bumming in the woods. If I were looking for a revolver strictly for hunting would 454 casull be a good option? Seeing how you could shoot 45 Colt through it as well. As of now, I?m getting a .357 revolver. 686 SSR for carrying around camp and or backup for deer hunting. Good choice? Also is the Taurus raging bull good to go? Or stay away from? Thanks sorry this post is so long.

The .454 is an excellent hunting round and will cover pretty much any animal you go after. Tons of bullet/powder choices as well as factory offerings. And like you said it gives you the versatility of the .45 colt.

I own a raging bull in .44 mag and absolutely love it. Very very nice shooting pistol. It's the 6.5" model btw.

Good luck and make sure you post pics of whatever you end up with.

IF YOU GET A 454 BE CAREFUL ABOUT SHOOTING 45 COLT IN A 454 CYLINDER. FREEDOM ARMS RECOMMENDS AGAINST IT IN THEIR EXTREMELY CLOSE TOLERANCED REVOLVERS. STUDY THE ISSURE BEFORE YOU DO IT.

What animals do you plan on hunting? The 45 Colt is plenty enough for most North American big game without the recoil of the 454. I am not a fan of shooting short cases in long chambers, even though it can and is often done.

I am an avid backpacker and weight is always a concern, if you are just talking day hikes then not so much.
Since you are adding hunting especially black bears then I would look for a gun that would cleanly take them and make it fit my other needs.
If I was looking for myself then a 4" S&W 629 Mountain gun 44 Magnum would probably be on my short list.
I really like the .357 Mag and have taken many whitetails with it and am sure it would work on black bears, but personally I would want more gun.

I vote 45 Colt in either a Ruger Super Blackhawk or Super Redhawk.

.45 ACP Long Slide

Right now it?s a toss up between the Ruger Redhawk 45colt/45 ACP or the 686. The ruger has 4.2? barrel, 686 will have a 4?. Mainly whitetail, and blackbear if I get chosen for lottery

Feel is very important so which feels the best in your hand? Weight is always a consideration and a gun that feels light and snappy in the store takes on a whole new feel when you put 6 heavy rounds or a loaded mag in it. If possible shoot both before you buy. Get a good holster and practice,practice, practice.

Is the glock 20 gen 4 a good hunting platform. Shot one yesterday with an RMR on it and we were nailing steel at 65 yards no problem. Is the 10mm basically ballastics twins with .357 magnum? Now my problem is between the 686 and the G20.

I helped a good friend set up a G40 for deer hunting a couple years ago. We were getting 1550 fps from the Buffalo Barnes 155 gn load with a 6.5" barrel. Off a rest, it would group 2 inches at 50 yards. you could easily recreate this with a G20 and aftermarket barrel, or just settle for lower velocity with a G20 barrel.
(here is what i was shooting so you can read specs and check velocities https://www.midwayusa.com/product/634566...-free-box-of-20 Manufacturer website also has more velocity details.)

He has yet to connect with a deer, but would be comfortable up to 50 yards (with red-dot).


With the right bullet choice, the 10mm will work well. Before I jumped into the 10mm and G20, I would make sure to try the G20 with some full power 10mm loads. Most of the 10mm ammo easily available in a store today is loaded down from full potential.

I would say that based on the factory loads i've looked at, the 10mm has definitely has the advantage in energy/velocity/weight.

I never liked the glock trigger so I would look at a different platform, but that is a personal decision. IMHO, I think it could be a 100 yard deer setup with a different trigger.

Pretty much so, with equal weight bullets. The 10 might have a slight advantage of a larger hole, and greater capacity and quicker reloads, but either would serve essentially the same purpose.

This is exactly why I stated earlier that I'd gladly trade my G20 for the Lipsey's BlackHawk in 10mm.

Would you go with 4.62 barrel or the 6.5 barrel? I?m thinking I might actually sell some of my other guns to start getting some handguns to hunt with. Because there is a lot of choices and I feel like I need to buy to new ones.

The Ruger Redhawk in 45 Colt and 45 ACP with moon clips is a good one. John Taffin wrote up in American Handgunner, or maybe it was Guns magazine, about how the Ruger Redhawk moon clips could be altered to shoot 45 Winchester Magnum, 45 Rowland and other semi-auto 45 caliber iterations. It is a candidate to be all the hunting handgun you will ever need. And then you can have it customized the way you would like it. Power and versatility in a package that is easy to carry in a shoulder holster or crossdraw holster on the hip.
From mild to reasonably wild using Redhawk Only Garrett 405 grain Long Colt loads.

Personally I would go with the 6.5". I have Rugers in both lengths and like them both. I am sure you will get replies that the shorter barrel is more portable, and to some small degree it is, but the 6.5" for me is not an issue with regard to carry. They are easier to shoot well, and the 10mm definitely benefits (velocity) with more barrel length.

Many years ago my first Blackhawk was ordered as a 4 5/8" 41 Mag. What I got was a 41 with 6.5" instead. (Long story why it could not be returned). I have not been without a 6.5" since. Carried on a belt in a Bianchi #1, a Barranti NW Mountain Companion X Draw, or any of the great chest holsters and you will have a great hunting/hiking rig.

Dan

If you don't reload and want a revolver with a good amount of power, but one that is also flexible to shoot different types of loads in with ammo that's easy to find, I'd seriously consider a .44 Magnum.

The 357 is good stuff, but it's not a .44 Mag. The 10mm is okay too, but in my opinion it won't do anything you can't already do with a .40 or .45.

I'm a .41 Mag guy myself, but I'll admit that the .44 Magnum might be the very best all around choice out there.

In your case, the 6.5? would be the choice I?d think. Extra Velocity.

I?d want the 4.62? simply because I already have a large frame single action with a longer barrel.

I agree with Jeff460, my vote goes to the Ruger Redhawk 45 Colt / 45 ACP, as my Perfect Packing Pistol.

With the almost limitless options in loads and calibers from shotshells for snakes, to heavy 45 Colt for big game, and a size that is comfortable to carry, it has become my go to gun.