OK, this may be new-guy silliness, but I own a New Model Blackhawk in .45 colt with a 4 5/8 barrel. I originally bought it for carry while working on the family ranch. And as backup for when I'm hunting.
And because I just flat out loved the feel of the thing! What can I say?
Anyway, now that I'm starting to get addicted to the whole idea of handgun hunting, and since I'm not made of money, I was wondering if it might make since to try to make use of it as well.
Should I consider a new barrel, or having a scope put on, or would it be better just to save money, and buy a purpose built revolver later down the road?
Do I really have any options here for anything other than a 25 yd iron sight pistol?
Many thanks guys

Some folks can flat out shoot a 4 5/8 barrel alot farther than 25 yards and well above hunting accurate.I am new but I say practice.Find you a good load that your Ruger likes and shoot like you've never shot before.After 250-300 rounds you might be surprised just how far you can shoot that thing accurately.When you get it hitting pretty consistent at 25 move it out.Someone on hear told me about gluing skeet on stick and setting them out at different ranges,unknown of course just scatter them and shoot,well I tried it and one word describes it........FUN H20Bug was the one who gave me the info on skeet shooting,thanks a mill bug!

unless you have money to spend learn to use what you have.45 colt has plenty of power unless you hunt elaphant.
a good scope could help

but on the other hand I like a contender for hunting

If you practice with it you can certainly extend your range with that gun beyond 25 yards. My personal limit, in good light, is about 50-60 yards. How far you can shoot with it depends on your abilities. The biggest problem with a short barreled gun is the sight radius. Putting a scope on a gun eliminates that problem. With a 4 5/8" gun I would consider one of the mini red dots like is shown below. You'll also find that at dawn & dusk those sights will be very difficult to line up on a deer so as light conditions deteriorate your effective range will get closer. If you're going to use this as your primary gun then you should limit yourself to broadside shots so as to maximize the target area.

Yep, that's what I did to my Bisley. It had a 7-1/2" barrel which I cut down to 6" for compactness, and inslatted the Weigand base and an Optima I already had.

I handles like a dream and extended it's effective range past 100 yards with heavy loads. If you want to save up for something I'd suggest one of these.

Scope ready and can also be used with opens when you need. The Ruger mounts can be removed and replaced without losing zero.

I agree with the above statements. That would make a fine handgun for hunting with in your limits. The red dot is a great idea and they are not very expensive. I like the man said "Shot with what you got" have fun!

i have the same gun in 41 so i would save your money for some-
thing down the road i have looked for a new barrel but gave
that up and just learned to shoot want i have and that gives
you a reason to buy another gun later.

I would keep the 4 5/8 gun see how it shoots with different loads --cast / jacket-- bullets maybe put a Belt Mtn Base pin in it the is a $25 upgrade and helps a lot add wolf springs a $15 upgrade. Then learn to shoot it well. When you buy a new larger scoped gun you will be amazed at how well you shoot it because you learned on the the hard to shoot one. My 4 5/8 gun is by far my favorite to shoot bar none. Have fun shoot well

Many thanks guys, I really appreciate the input, I'll probably look into a holo type sight, and just keep it the way it is otherwise.
Like I said, I already like the way it feels, just need to upgrade it a little, and go from there!
Again, many thanks!
Kritter

I would just practice. My 41&44 both have 4 5/8th barrels. With 170 and 210gr loads in my 41 i can hit clays out to 70yds. In prone i can keep six in a 10" plate at 100yds. The 44 is little differant story. My affective range with full house loads is 50yds. I can extend that if i use 44spl. But i loose the power. Your 45 has plenty of horse power with out the snap of the magnum.