undecided .44mag, 50AE, .500mag

I am new to handgun hunting outside of squirrel killing. I would like to take up handgun hunting for white tail here in Nebraska. Most of my shots will be 50yds and less. I have a few handguns in mind. A. Super Redhawk .44 mag B. Magnum Research .50AE C. Smith & Wesson .500mag. Any ideas or suggestions??

Of those options I would select the .44 Mag. It is the most versatile I believe of the handguns mentioned and if you are not a handloader, this is the one caliber with an abundunce of available loads in all flavors.

Thanks I just recently bought a reloader so I can make any of the calibers I mentioned. I know if it doesn't work out the .44 will be easier to sell if needed

Yep....exactly what Whit said. Although I prefer the Blackhawk to the Redhawk.

Serious overkill for 50 yard deer. If you reload I would suggest the 45 Colt.

All suggestions so far will work. Have you shot handguns with heavy recoil? If not I would suggest a Ruger 45 colt because it will be enough gun to meet your needs even with standard loads and also can be heavy loaded. [ in the case of a Ruger SA.]

For a first big game revolver I would go with the 44 mag. There is nothing wrong with the others but you need to start hunting with something that will leave you room to grow should you find yourself wanting more

Very good point.

What he said. I also agree with the 45 Colt recommendation.

44 mag will also be a LOT cheaper to shoot (Whether you reload or not). Means you get to practice more!
Welcome to the forum & the addiction!

I admit, my thoughts don't carry much credibility since I am still pretty new to the 45 Colt, but I vote for 45 Colt also. I did some research on the caliber, and it quickly became one of my favorites.

Like Whit says in his book... It can be loaded light, or loaded to levels that will leave a 44mag dragging its tongue. I haven't taken anything with my 45 Colt yet, but it is a joy to shoot, and reloading components are easy to get.

Deeronmybrain,

Out of the 3, I vote for the SRH in .44 - I started with a Redhawk in .44, and my collection has, um, blossomed from there

The 45 colt would be real fine if you reload,the 44 in sbhh or srh would be easier to use an optic with.

Go with the .44 Magnum. The SRH you mention is a fine, accurate handgun, and any Ruger .44 Mag. is a very good value. Although you can spend more money, absorb more recoil, and hear more noise with other options, nothing is really any better for deer and other mid-size game than a .44 Magnum.

Here are a pair of custom SRH .44's from my corner of the world:

Well said, Ken!

Well put Ken and some very nice SRH's!

(And I like the Bill Snow creations displayed with them too!)

thanks for all the info guys. All three are great guys to shoot and I enjoy each one of them. But I have decided to use the .44 on the deer. the other to will be strictly target and squirrel guns. Call me sick and twisted but something always makes me smile when I shoot a squirrel at 25yds with the .500 mag

Ken,

Well stated and That's a beautiful butter spreader you got there! The Ruger's are sweet, also.

44 mag all the way. A deer will not know the difference within that range, and the ease of resale (vs the other choices) would be heavily in your favor.

44 Mag Contender

I would definitely go with the .44 mag because of the abundance of components for handloading and factory loads.

Love the 44 for whitetail! A friend of mine shoots a 44 redhawk with 0 complaints. I like mine in a Dan Wesson large frame. The 500 S&W is also a lot of fun but a little much for a whitetail in my opinion. I usually save that for special occasions... Like elk season!