Hey guys. I'm looking to get into handgun hunting for deer here in Iowa. I'm a average to slightly above average shooter with about 20 years of shooting exp. Where I hunt there are very steep ravines and wide open fields. There are almost always shots available in the fields at longer ranges. I'm looking for a revolver of high cal that would have the accuracy, range, and power to drop a deer at about 150 yds. From what I've read the 44 mag is good to about 100 yds maybe more. My worst fear about handgun hunting is to see a trophy at 150 yards or so and not have enough gun to kill it. I'm open to any options you guys may have. I'm totally new to handgun hunting.

PS I was at the gun shop yeaterday and saw some nice Ruger super redhawks there in 44 mag. On was a 9.5 inch barrel and the other was a 7.5 inch barrel. Which of these 2 guns would you recommend? Whatever gun I get will be scopped also.

150 yards is a tall order for a revolver. But if i was to choose i'd go with the 460 or 454.

If you are in the revolver frame of mind, and you are not restricted to straightwall cases by statute, how about a BFR in 30-30. Recoil ain't bad and you got legit 150 yard range.

My highly reccomended suggestion to you for your described application is the Smith & Wesson Performance Center .460 with either a compensated 10.5" barrel or fluted 12" barrel. These guns are extremely accurate, and with the proper bullet, will carry more than enough energy to kill any Whitetail at 150, 200 and probably even 250 yards.

Now about the Ruger question you have. Myself, my dad and my two brothers have always had Ruger firearms (rifles and handguns). I would have to say that we are the exceptions for Ruger's excellent products and customer service. A lot of guys on this site are big fan's of Rugers, and, as I said, so was I. After several (four) brand new firearms had to be shipped back to Ruger because they were malfunctioning in one way or another, and having to deal with the worst customer service in existance, we stopped buying Rugers. There is also no quality control department at Ruger. Don't let this scare you as many people do have good luck with Ruger. I however, have not.

Also, Ruger no longer manufactures the SRH in .454 with a 9.5" barrel (this is one of the guns I had to send back to Ruger for a refund). I don't know what the accuracy and velocity of the Casull crtridge is like out of the 7.5" SRH but there are far better options, such as the ones listed above, for you.

If you decide to stick around the site, welcome. If you have any further questions for the Performance Center .460s (especially the 12" model), send me a Personal Message (PM). Its hard to find any real inoformation on the web about either of these two guns.

I really can’t say anything but you are getting great advice! The 460 S&W is a great handgun and more than capable of doing what you want to do. But I really like S4S4U’s idea of the BFR 30-30!

Duane

Thanks for the help so far. I am limited to straight wall ammo so any rifle round out of a T/C is off limits. I have thought about the .460 S&W from the performance center. However I haven't been able to see or hold one as of yet. I will find it very hard to spend over $1000 on a gun that I cant hold first. liv2hnt460 how do you know that Ruger doesnt have a quality control dept anymore? Just wondering. If I do decide to just go with the old 44 mag what am I looking at as a max range?

I suppose I don't know for sure that Ruger has gotten rid of their quality control department. For years we (my family) has purchased many ruger firearms without any problems. Then within the past four or five years, we've had problems (manufacturing/function) with four different guns. If there was a quality control department at Ruger, these four guns surely would have not left the factory.

Well, a lot of that has to do with the shooter. A lot of folks think a hundred yards with a handgun is a hundred yards with a rifle, but that ain't the case. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a 240 grainer from a SBH at 200 yards, but I'd be willing to bet that barely 1 in 1,000 of new handgunners could put it there.

Honestly, 100 yards is a longer way away than most realize. And without optics I think that would be a reasonable goal to begin with. Whether 44, 45, 480....

WELCOME to HHM slickdj96!!

The TC has a few good offerings in straight walled cartridges that will reach out alot better than in the revolver counter parts. The 357 MAX comes to mind. It can lick at the heals of the 35 Remington.

I had a 12" 445 Super Mag barrel that would push a 240gr bullet at 2,000 FPS. Just something to think about.

I'm with Tigger on this one.

Take a look at single shot handguns if the possibility of longer shots is available. The .44 Magnum jumps to a new level of performance in a closed breech firearm. And unless you have a maximum case length regulation, look into the .444 Marlin or 45-70.

Now learning to shoot these is gonna take some time. Like it was stated eariler, 100yds w/ a rifle is WAY different than 100yds w/ a handgun. The level of skill required to take such a shot is much greater when you eliminate the buttstock! I own quite a few wheelguns but anytime the shooting will reach in excess of 100yds, a scoped single shot handgun of some flavor is resting in my arm. I also hate the thought of a trophy deer standing out of range.

Thanks guys I'll take another look at the single shot T/C type guns. I would also like to point out that although I'm new to handgun hunting, I'm not new to handgun shooting. I do plan however to buy my new hunting weapon soon so I have most of the year to practice and hone my skills.

You are in good hands here slick! I just got into the handgun scene not long ago. I didn't get nothing but straight up down to earth answers from these guys. Handgun Hunter as a good following!

If a revolver is what you want but you don't think the velocity will be there, loaded hot, the .460 revolver spits out a 200gr bullet at 2500+ fps.

But if you really want to carry a revolver that large, the single shot platform of handguns offer a much better range of options and is about the same size! The single shots are also much easier to take a solid rest and shoot at longer ranges...no worries about cylinder gases burning anything nearby. Bipods can also be affixed much easier.

Dan B, which single shot weapon do you recommend? And what round would it be firing?

i'm with danb 100%! a TC contender would be my pick.



in the contender there are soooo many choices in cartridge right there. it's gonna be hard to narrow down, unless you can come up with some personal preferences., or whether or not you want to reload or can reload for a wildcat cartridge. i like 14" barrel models, but some like 10"-12" for a edge in portability etc.

some general ideas.......30-30, 30-30AI, 7TCU, 7-30waters, 30 herrett, 357maximum, and 35remington....plus a multitude of others depending on specific needs/desires.

i guess the question is.....how deep ya wanna get?

Like others have said, the .44 mag gets souped up a little in a single shot. With this combo, I have the option of using the 10" Contender for longer shots, or the 4" Redhawk for close opportunities. A Contender with a 10" barrel is about the same size as a 7.5" revolver, but will usually be more accurate and give higher velocities.

In the break open design, which is what I would use for a straight walled cartridge, I highly prefer the first generation Contender. I like its weight and "slimness" compared to the Encore. I've not handled a G2 Contender enough to pass judgement.

Are you a handloader?

As for a straight walled cartridge to reach 150yds, the .445 Super Mag or .444 Marlin shooting the new Hornady poly tipped Leverevolution bullets would work.

But for a first choice, the .375 Winchester would also be an awesome round and not beat you up as bad as the .44 caliber barrels. This would also be much easier to find in a factory tube.

Top this barrel with a 2-6X or 2-7X scope and you'll be set!!

Kyle...those are all great but he's limited to a straight wall cartridge. That's a HUGE bummer!!

My dad reloads all his stuff so it would just be a matter of buying a set of dies.

The the .375 Winchester would be my choice!

Any particular reason you would choose that over the 45-70 or any of the others

One reason to pick the .45-70 is 300 gr bullets at 1894 fps. This load is safe in my gun, but may not be in others. Start low and work up.

If you are restricted as to a maximum length like some states you sould really look into the SuperMag's, they come in 445, 414, 375, and the 357 Max which I really like but is about running out of gas at 150 yards. The 375 Winny gets my vote for all-around straightwall, but I also like my 45-70.

no restrictions on length, just has to be straight wall. Does anyone know of a good website that has ballistics tables for these big handgun loads?

The Sierra and Hornady reloading books have load data for all these cartridges in single shots pistols.

Now...the .375 Win versus 45-70 Gov't. Being that you will be new to the single shot handgun arena...I would really look into the .375 Win. It is a moderately tame cartridge in the Contender, will work wonders in deer, and will not beat you up. The 45-70, though a truely effective cartridge, requires a great deal of skill to shoot well. It is a HAMMER!

The .375 w/ a 220gr FP at 1900fps will drop 12.6" at 200yds when zeroed at 100yds and carry 842fpe.

The 45-70 w/ a 300gr HP at 1600fps will drop 19" at 200yds when zeroed at 100yds and carry 805fpe.

Substitute the 225gr SP in for the 200 FN and the .375 drops only 10.9" at 200yds and retains 1091fpe.

I have a 45-70 and love it. But we are talking about killing deer, not moose.

H4198 will match the 375 Wins ballistics. H4198 gives high velocities with lower pressures than many powders (including IMR4198). The load I used in my previous post is the halfway point between what Hodgdon lists as its min and max loads. I was happy with the accuracy I was getting with that charge, so I stopped there. Like Dan said, more than enough for deer.

At 1900 fps with a 100 yard zero it will drop 11.6" at 200 yards and should be around 1229 fps for 1006 fpe.

If you've changed your mind and no longer want a revolver platform, you're in luck! TC makes 15" barrels chambered in .460 S&W Mag for the encore and pro hunter models. Then you'd be talking some serious velocities with handloads.

As you can tell, I'm a big fan of the cartridge.

Also, Hodgdon's website has a pretty good collection of different calibers and data for each. I have noticed however that their max loads are "extremely safe".

pab...that is an awesome load for sure!! I only ran mine up to 1700fps w/ XMP5744 and quit. That's enough for anything I'll encounter in PA.

Back to slickdj...another big bonus for the Contender is the availability to set up a .22LR barrel for practice. For what you'll dump into a .460S&W gun, you could easily buy a Contender frame, two barrels (.375 Win and .22LR) w/ matching optics for each (Bushnell 2-6X), Weaver bases for each and Leupold Rifleman rings for each. If you do your shopping right, all these items could be bought for under $900 and you'll have two set-ups that can take anything from squirrel to elk.

Good point Dan! IMO, practice with a .22lr is one of the best tools for improving your handgun skills. I have a .22lr "understudy" for both my scoped and unscoped barrels as well as my revolvers. Its one of the best investments you can make to improve accuracy, not to mention some of the funnest shooting you will ever do.

Thanks for all your help guys. I have a lot of things to decide on. I've come to realize there is no "right" answer to my question lol. I'll have to decide which route I want to take and go from there.

I doubt we helped. However...we are good at putting more roads on your map to aid in getting lost!!

That is funny!!

Dan, I'm never lost as I am trying to buy all the options!!!!

Ain't that the truth!! After I get my garage paid for I'll likely be adding another room to expand the mancave!!

I have been looking at a vault door and concrete walls for the back of the garage. A 25' X 25' man cave would be cool.

“liver eating” Johnson ones said, “I have never been lost… been might confused for a week or two, but never lost”