If you only had ONE handgun to hunt with..........

If you were limited to one handgun (heaven forbid), but just for the threads sake, humor me, AND you didn't handload, therefore were limited to factory ammo, what would you choose? And why?

my s&w 12 inch scope sighted 460 mag.powerful,dead on,5 shots.not much it wont kill if i do my part.

Just about any 6" barreled 357 or 44 magnum.

my 7 1/2" scoped FA83 in 454 casull. It is the go to gun in my arsenal. I have shot ground squirrels to moose, coyotes to bears. it feels great in my hands, and holsters well or rides in a bandoleer in a boat or horseback. I would probably be happier if it were down to only one, and I have never felt undergunned

14inch Contender in 30-30 win. with a 2x8 glass.

I would go with a 5 1/2 or 6 inch 45 Colt and shoot either a 325 grain LFN or 335 ELFN. The 45 Colt properly loaded and there or a few manufacturers of properly loaded 300+ grain bullets. Gives up very little to a 454 (if anything) in the game fields

The 45 Colt does all of this very effectively in the low 30 thousand PSI range, making it a pleasure to shoot. Plus the fact that 6 rounds in the cylinder is the rule, not the exception

I second Elwood with the 12" 460 smith and wesson Hunter. I have full confidence in that gun. HOWEVER, I am in the process of putting together an Encore Pro Hunter with a 14" Bull Barrel in 460 that just might get the nod.

I'll let ya know after this hunting season!

Limited to factory ammo would leave me in a tough choice. It would either be my Ruger 45colt Bisley hunter or my TC 308. If I had to feed my family like I may this year from the deer I shoot I think the TC 308 is going to get a work out. And so will the Bisley!

That would be my choice as well, but if limited to factory ammo, there's not a whole lot available that you will find at just any gun shop.

My 4 5/8" .45 Colt Blackhawk with 2x leupold on board. There is enough factory ammo to keep it running. That said I have my own ammo factory.

300gr XTP with 20.5grs H110 and a 155 primer. 1120fps and sub 2" groups at 100 yards. Good enough. reflex264

I don't even like to pretend...

But - I'll go with my 10" barreled .454 FA with the 2.5x8 Leupold on top.

Now I'm gonna go get on Gunbroker and exercise my right to have more!

Ruger Super Redhawk in .454 Casull,plenty of power for any critter that walks,very accurate and shoots flat enough to 150 yards which is perfect for the farms that I hunt.

My 5" S&W 629

Tough question. I love to stalk in the mornings and lean up against a tree 50 yards downwind of a scrape line or draw--this is when the S&W 629 PC is called to duty. Midday to dark I open things up and usually prefer the T/C .454 Casull. When hunting my home state with the smaller whitetails, my fine-shooting T/C 7mm08 is the ticket. So if I have to minimize this answer down to one.....T/C .454 Casull.

My Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley Hunter in .44 Rem Mag. Only because I don't really have a need for anything else at the moment.

Well, there's plenty of cowboy action level ammo out there for the .45 Colt, but there are good heavy .45 Colt loads available from a number of manufacturers. I understood that we should take commercial ammo availability into account. That said, I too would opt for my .45 Colt Bisley with a 5 1/2-inch barrel.

I find the idea of one gun to be a very sad concept.

A 325 grain LFN at 1350 FPS is a formable load as is the 335 WLFN both can be purchased over the counter for the 45 Colt

Sorry jwp, I have never seen Grizzly 335 grain loads at my local Wally World! LOL! I just wish the good stuff was available everywhere.

IF...only one...with the parameters set in original post; it would be my Encore chambered in .308win.

Reason....well that should be obvious!

My 10" FA 454.

I agree; assuming you mean only one handgun for HUNTING. But if you mean only one handgun PERIOD (including hunting AND self defense) it would be one of my .44 magnum revolvers.

Why? Where I hunt here in the west we have a lot of shots in the wide open as well as 100 yards and under. The T/C would handle both plus .308 ammo is available basically everywhere; plus the military surplus stuff.

However, it wouldn't be a very good choice for self defense; and for me that would outweigh the hunting advantages of the T/C.

Wally World ain't the only plkace to purchase ammo

Nope not obvious at all

Sorry....it can take any game in north America; it's capable of taking game to 300+ yards; it's very accurate; it's the most available factory ammo (except maybe 22lr) there is and available in any bullet weight/style you could want.

Yes, I was referring to hunting. I assumed, since it was posted on the handgun hunting forum, he was asking about hunting; not self defense. Otherwise, I'd change my answer to a 44 mag also.

I'm with ya on the .44 Mag. I just added an S&W 629 PC Stealth to my .44 collection and it is possibly the finest shooter I have ever squeezed the trigger on. Can't wait for my backordered Trijicon RMR to get here to give it a ride! I based my earlier answer of the .454 based on hunting purposes, but if I had to give up all but one gun (GASP) the Stealth would stay.

Freedom Arms 454 Casull with a 10" barrel....

My 7.5" FA 83 454

i am limited by choice to one hunting handgun, i do reload. that gun; a 44 mag 5.5" sbh.

If I had to make that decision right now, it would be my 6.5" 629 Classic. The main reason is the "factory ammo availability" requirement. If you'll let me continue to handload, I'd probably choose my 480 Ruger SRH.

.308 encore

Yep, God Bless the NRA!!


Duane

Because I live "out west" in open country, I would choose my FA single shot in 338 Federal. It is very accurate & big enough for anything I might hunt.

Ruger SBHH 45colt. Because it can take down anything, has multiple shots(dangerous game situations), and can zip from scope to irons in seconds without loosing zero on either.(never scoped it yet, but nice to have the option)

And it looks cool, and carries nice.

Plus, I've only ever shot 1 animal that would have been out of it's range.

Big fan of the 45lc. Like Whit said, you just have to plan ahead to get good hunting ammo. Internet is great for that. I have looked at lots of gun shops and both Gander Mountians in our area, and the BEST they had were those weak leverevolution loads. I wish the shops in our area carried the heavies.

MN

Yep to find the good stuff you have to order it. I travel around the country for my job all week long. I make a point of visiting small gun shops and outdoor shops when I see them. None of them carry specialty ammo. I buy mine online, unless our local gun show is in town. There is a guy who sells nothing but ammo and carries the ammo I use in my Bisley hunter.

Dittos James

My .308 Winchester XP-100. It will take any game I am likely to hunt and factory ammunition is available everywhere.

My 7.5" Freedom Arms Model 83 in 454. Plenty of good factory ammo available and big enough for anything I would ever hunt.

Dan

I would use the 7.5 inch 45 colt ruger blackhawk i have with the corbon or buffalo bore 300 grainers. it is scoped and is devastaeting out to about 80 yrds with ease.Or a very good 454, but i usually have plenty of magnum level 300 xtps ready to go in my ammo box.

how come i can not post a pic of my pistol?anyone know?is there a special way i do not see an add image choice?

You need an image hosting site like photobucket.

Or upload to the Bragging Board and then copy/paste the the location url into the image window (3rd button from the left in the toolbar above the text window)

If you want to e-mail it to me, I can post it up for you.

There used to be a sticky about posting pics somewhere IIRC.

It would be my FA83 in .44 Magnum. My only SA. Right now it's in Wyoming on vacation:)

Ruger 7.5" SRH 44 Mag.

I replaced the original front sight with a .390" height fiber optic in green. Wow, what a difference.

This is all I would need.


* I posted a new question about "preferred 44 mag barrel length" so as not to highjack this great topic.

I owned 2 FA .454 Casull with 7 ½” and 6”. From some silly reason I sold my 6” but now I think that this would be the best all around hunting handgun. I have ammo with shotshell, great mild loads for practicing and small game hunt (with Trail Boss powder I reduced .454 to level of mild .357 Mag) and 300grs XTP Mag full house for anything else.
Just can’t think of anything better for that situation…

If I didn't own a SRH in .480, I'd probably go with a .44 Mag of some sort due to its flexibility and availability of factory ammo for those that don't reload.