Survey: Hunting large game with revolver-

The question is- do you prefer revolver hunting big game with scope or open sights, what game, what revolver, what range, what bullet? Most will have several answers.

My go to is a Ruger Bisley 45 Colt with the barrel shortened to 6", UltraDot, 250 XTP in front of a stiff dose of H110 or lil gun. I will stretch it if necessary but like to keep within a hundred yards on big game.

7.5", 480 Ruger, SRH, Red dot (Ultradot four 30mm).
Moose & bear, 400gr Hardcast (Lee mold), under 100 yds (the closer the better).

I drive a Ford & like long walks in the alders on rainy mountain sides just before daylight...

Are you single? Jk

I have been iron sights for a while. Just picked up a SBH with Leupold 2X to get myself back in the scoped game. Small game is with iron sights .32 mag or Encore with 10" .10 barrel.

Being over 60 and wearing glasses since a teenager, I have killed big game with both iron sighted and scoped revolvers but now prefer a red dot sight on my custom .475 Linebaugh and FA 83 .454 Casull. I have killed several muley bucks with red dot sighted revolvers; and out of four bull elk with the revolvers, two were with red dot sights. I like the J Point and Leupold Delta Point.

Too many variables. To many choices.

A 4 5/8 in. .45 Blackhawk 250 gr XTP, now with an ultradot or a 7 1/2 in Super Redhawk .480 with 325 gr XTP or 355 gr WFNGC scoped. I like to keep both under a hundred for deer and hogs. Have a Ruger Bisley .45 with peep that my son uses more than me with either a 300 gr cast or a 250 gr XTP. Prefer open sights but eyes are a changing and you can't hit what you can't see so optics.

What I have left is a RSRH 44mag 9 1/2" 2X Leupold and RSB 44mag 3 3/4" for back up or under 25yards. Hunt 95% for bear under 75 yards. Use 270gr to 300 gr HC bullets now.

Agreed. That said, I test a lot of revolvers, so I often have something new in hand that I have barely had time to get acquainted with. With really big calibers I like flat-nosed hard cast bullets with big meplats as I don't feel they need expansion to work. With some calibers I use jacket expanding bullets, particularly the faster calibers like the .454. I've been using a lot of CEB bullets lately as well.......way too many variables.

I don't like scopes on handguns as the necessarily long eye relief is difficult for me to use. I prefer red dot-type sights over scopes, and I often use open iron sights as well.

X2

I use all different calibers, scopes, red dots and iron sights. I love hunting any big game I get the opportunity to hunt. I use Ruger's, Freedom Arms' and a custom. Bullets vary by brand, type and weight.

All that being said, the whitetail deer is the big game I hunt the most; for the obvious reason. Although I like and use all, my most prefered for whitetail is a scoped Freedom Arms revolver with mid-weight for caliber jacketed bullets and my shots are generally under 75 yards due to my hunting methods.

Lots of variables, if the shot could be quick I like irons hands down. If I may have the opportunity to watch before the shot, or the quarry is going to be easing around,I am starting to enjoy scopes. Low light I like a dot. I like scopes for really finding out what a gun can do, and a lot of times after that I go back to irons.

I like irons for targets, scopes for testing loads, and the red dot for hunting. [woods hunting that is here in Pa] If I have some open land hunting say 0-120 yds I usually grab a red dot revolver, if I have open fields I usually grab one of my scoped contenders.

2x scope on all my revolvers. Everyone has their favorite bullet/load but what works for me may not work for you.

I use both. My all around woods gun is a S&W 629 with 2x B&L scope. Load is 240 XTP over max charge of H-110. I will go iron sights if the cover is heavy or when walking / still hunting in thick cover. I always carry an iron sighted revolver cross draw when I am hunting with a scoped gun. Either a Redhawk 44 mag or a Super Blackhawk 44 Mag. The same load as above. I also have a heavy 300 XTP load for the Redhawk if the game is bigger than deer.
In general the above comments pertain to Whitetail deer and black bear hunting although it would also apply to feral hogs. For larger game or in the open land where the shots are 100 yards or more I would opt for a scoped Contender with the 44 on my belt.

2x and 4x Leupolds on all mine except my Ruger Redhawk 3" belt gun. My Blackhawk 4-5/8" .44 special and 7-1/2" 45 Colt wear factory open sights. Most, if not all of my loads use 'heavy for caliber' bullets. It's just me

5.5" ruger sbh 44 mag. 240grn swc at @1200 fps. 50 yards or so and white tailed deer. aperture with green fiber optic.

Freedom Arms .475 Linebaugh 7 1/2"

Leupold 4X scope (my 50 yr old eyes prefer a scope)

Buffalo bore .420 gr (I need to start reloading)

Only shot Hogs so far out to about 75 yards

Hoping to add a Whitetail and a Sika Deer this year.

I hunt deer and the occasional hog with a revolver. I much prefer iron sights but have been experimenting with RMR style red dots with excellent results in the field.
I've used 44 mag in a Ruger Bisley quite a bit, but I have had great success with heavy 44 special in an FA 97 the last couple seasons. I'll shoot to about 75 yards if everything is right but I'm much happier at 50.

I've been a single-shot guy up until this year. In less than a year I've adopted 2 hunting revolvers (there may be a "problem" brewing). My game is limited to deer and hogs.

My Encores have scopes for distance. Moving to handgun hunting I wanted to challenge myself to get closer and up the ante, so to speak. I felt myself not hunting the thicker stuff because of this so when I added revolvers to my arsenal I intentionally limited those with iron only (Bisley 45LC) and a Fastfire 3 on my SRH .454.

Both revolvers are in the development stage of finding the load/bullet I want.

45 Colt. Scoped for offense, open sights for defense.

Nicely stated

I prefer single actions.
I currently have a ruger bisley in 44 mag.
I also prefer open sights However and 55 my eyes are not what they were.
I may down the road go to a reflex dot sight.
As far as bullets the only game Ive killed is two whitetail.
One with a factory winchester silvertip HP (Impressive blood trail)
The other was a 180 grain XTP (no blood, poor shot placement)

Im looking at cast bullets this year.

Bad eyes have made me scope several of my handguns. My .480 SRH, .45 Colt Blackhawk and my .44 Mag bisley hunter are scoped. My Encore 30-06 is scoped. I have around 10 handguns without scopes that I also hunt with when the distances are closer.

Scoped revolver is my favorite, but I do go out with open sights when I'm hunting in thick timber. When I go out with my encores ,I always use a scope. I don't think I ever have hunted with my encore with open sights. But I am looking at getting a trijicon rmr red dot optics. Does look like a lot of fun.

I prefer open sights but they aren't always practical where I'm at. In irons I shoot a BH in 45LC which hasn't killed yet and I shoot a SBH which I took a spike deer with this year. Hands down my personal custom 454 I built several years ago is my favorite. It has a Millet red dot on it and has taken a deer every year since I built it except this past season when I decided to use my lowly 44 mag with irons. It has also taken one elk, total deer with it would be 6 blacktails. We are only allowed one deer a year here. My other favorite but is still a virgin is my 500 Linebaugh I also built several years ago. Just haven't needed a 435gr CP running 1300fps for anything. Bullets I generally stick with jacketed with the exception of the 500. I shoot 240gr XTP's in my 44, 250gr XTP's in my 45 and the 454 I run either 240gr XTP Mag's or 300gr Partitions. I'm primarily running Partitions now that I've found a reliable source for them.

My perspective is from a brand new handgun hunter. I researched and bought a Ruger Redhawk .44mag that I'm going to hunt whitetails with this fall. I put a HiViz front sight on it and handload...
Nosler 240gr SP
Hornady 240gr XTP
Hornady 300gr XTP
All with IMR4227

Just like bow hunting I'm limiting my range to where I can put 6 shots into a 6" pie plate consistently. Off my Stoney Point sticks I hope to take it from 0 through 100 yards and work out my bullet drop within those ranges. That may be an overly optimistic goal with no optics but I'll see how I do this summer.

The best answer I can give is for you to go to my photos and look at all the calibers and sighting options that I have used over the years. The game , distance and bullet are all there.....

All my revolver hunting has been with open sights. But turning 66 in May the sights on my guns are getting pretty fuzzy. I'm thinking of getting a reflex sight for my FA 454.