What is your favorite deer hunting revolver?

I think I want to add a revolver to the collection but can't decide which one. I have been looking hard at the Ruger Super RedHawk and I have looked a little at the S&W PC Hunter. The Rugers are in stores around my house I have held them (44,454,480) but the S&W I have only seen on the Internet. In the woods I hunt in 100-125yd shot is all your going to get and that's if your lucky. I'm kinda partial to the 44 mag and have been looking at the 7.5in Ruger SRH pretty hard. But I really kinda like the size of the 5in Ruger SRH 454 but don't really want the 454 recoil in that little gun. But I suppose I could reload it down to heavy 45 colt or 44 mag velocities. It will be a scoped gun too. What is your favorite revolver and caliber for deer hunting?

I don't think I can pick one. But maybe top 3.

.44 Mag




.454 Casull

My favorite for deer is the 44 Maggie and I'd have to say my FA M83 with 7 1/2" barrel and 4x leupold would be my first to grab. Although, I hate picking a favorite.

Ruger Bisley in 45 Colt, 6" barrel. I never leave the shack without it.

Hard to limit it to one. Mine would probably be my 7.5" SBH. It was my first dedicated hunting handgun. Its way more accurate than I am!

This is the most accurate load with this gun. This was 4 shots off the bench at 75 yards. Not recommending this load. Its safe in my gun, may not be in others.



This isn't the greatest group but its the first time I fired it at 168 yards. I fired 5 shots at that distance. There was a strong gusty crosswind from left to right but I was pretty happy with the result. I wouldn't shoot game at that distance, just wanted to see how it would do. I couldn't see the "+" mark I put on the paper at that distance so I tried to hold the horizontal crosshair on the top edge of the paper while attempting to stay centered with the vertical crosshair. This gun/load has been effective on deer and a bighorn ewe. Again, not recommending this load. Its safe in my gun, may not be in others.

S&W .460 PC 10.5"....kaboom!

My pick would be in the following order:
Freedom Arms M83 in either 44 Mag or 454.
BFR in 44 Mag only unless you have Jack Huntington fix the grip frame (and now you're at FA prices). I don't have a pic of this one handy.
Ruger SBH either the hunter or a Magnaport Stalker conversion.
The Stalker is a classic hunting setup with decades of success stories but I can tell you from my experience, the FA is easier to shoot accurately.

This is my favorite hunting revolver:

http://www.handgunhunt.com/photopost/data/500/IMGP4551.JPG

A good ole N frame smith

I hate to pick, 12" performance Center 460.

Gary, the grip frame mods and the custom grips are only $350, which won't push the cost of the BFR up much. They are hard to beat as new ones can be had for less than $1,000.00. They are typically exceedingly accurate and have a transfer bar which pleases me.

Ruger Super Blackhawks can be had in many flavors to include blue or stainless, plow handle or Bisley, .44 Mag, .454 Casull, or .480 Ruger, etc.

FAs are always an option as well and can be had reasonably on the used gun market.

Many options to choose from!

44 mag SRH with 2x leupold scope

Another big plus for me with BFRs is the free wheeling cylinder.

I have an older BFR in 454 Casull with the same grip as a SBH. That's my favorite grip style. I removed the rubber grips and replaced them with SBH grip panels from Badger Custom.

I'm guessing you guys are talking about the newer grip style on BFRs. I have one in 44 mag but have only fired it with the factory rubber grips. I've been happy with those grips on it. From the way it sounds, I should probably stick with that grip.

Lol i dont have as many to choose from as most of you guys my sbh hunter 2x leupold.... but i have a bh 41 mag and a 480 srh i need to shoot a deer with this year.

I'm new here and to handgun hunting but I absolutely love shooting my S&W .460 topped with 2.5X8 Leupold. I'm definitely looking forward to hunting with it this season.

Welcome to the site RidgeRaider!

My 4 5/8th .45 Blackhawk is always with me in the woods, 250 gr XTP with 2400 powder.

Thanks pab1

Mine is my Super RedHawks in .454

At the moment my FA 97 .357

Got to be my .45 Blackhawk. This thing will shoot.

This load is safe in my gun but may not be in yours.

Good shootin' Reflex!

Ruger SRH in 44 mag

My Dan Wesson 44mag but I would like to try my Glock this year

I have killed more whitetails with my Colt Python than my other revolvers put together. I will admit it isn't a hammer compared to the big bores, but a 35 caliber hole in the right place will kill them just as dead.

Dekker, what is your deer hunting load for the Python?

sounds to me as you should be looking for a redhawk not a srh. my hunting handgun is a 5.5 ruger sbh .44 with one ragged hole rear sight and fiber optic front. i like to stick to one gun one load. i know boring ya that's just me.

Although I do own some custom handguns, my first choise when hunting whitetails is this S&W 629-4.

Steve

I recently sold my 44 Redhawk, so it will be my 480 Super Redhawk this year. I will also have my 357 GP100 with me.

I've shot more deer with my Encore 44, but the new kid on the block will get the honors this year.

Redhawk; I use a load the duplicates Remington's factory loading using the 180JHP bullet as it shoots very well in my gun. 13.2 grains H110 with Rem's 180 JHP gives me around 1320fps out of my 8" barrel. The bullet will expand if shots are kept within 100 yards which I have set as my max with this caliber. Most of my shots have been in the 60 yard area with a few pushing the 100 yard mark.

Thanks for the info Dekker.

My favorite is my Ruger SBH Lipsey's 454 Casull. Haven't poked a deer with it yet, but did use it to finish a hog.

My 6.5in 629 seems to be the go to gun these days for deer.
240gr A-Frames have done it well.
All my pics of this revolver seem to be on dead animals.
It's always nice to have a little lung blood added for contrast.



Curly

Well, since it's the only hunting revolver I have, I guess it's my favorite. One deer with it so far, but I think that will change.
Rossi 357 Mag.
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Well I played with some more of the Ruger's this weekend. A couple Blackhawks, a couple Super RedHawks and a couple GP100's. Having the guns in the store to handle them first to see what you like makes a big difference especially with the price of them. I really don't think I care for the Blackhawks. It's not the gun or the single action it's the grip. I just don't like the way they feel and they remind me of one of my dad's old guns. That's not a bad thing it's just not for me. I really like the Super RedHawks and the GP 100's with the rubber grips.

You should get your hands on a Ruger Bisley if possible. I don't care for the hogleg handle either, but the Bisley fits my hand like it was made for me. Same main frame as the Blackhawk, different handle.

http://www.handgunhunt.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7246&ppuser=8676


You can change the grips on a Blackhawk and make it feel like a totally different gun. I replaced the factory grips on my Blackhawk with a set of rubber Houge grips and now it fits my had like a glove.

Having large hands the factory grips did not give me enough to wrap my hands around.

Now it will shoot groups like this when I do my part. I did have a local gunsmith do a trigger on it also.

http://www.handgunhunt.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=8274&ppuser=8676

Yup, one of my favorites too. Mine is becoming one of my go-to revolver for hunting everything. It has accounted for one big hog and a really big water buffalo.

My favorite is my 5.5" Ruger Bisley in .45 Colt. Here it is with it's companion .45acp cylinder.

Mine is my Magna-Port Stalker. Try to carry others, but always go back to that.

Deer only?

Hard time choosing between the FA trio: Mod 353 (.357 Mag), M97 in .41 Mag, or M83 .44 Mag.

I have bigger hammers, but these have done everything I've needed them to in the deer woods.

my favorite is probably my Gallagher 45 made with a 357 max cylinder cut down. the 454 bisley in my eyes is a semi disposable version of my Gallagher revolver, but it is scary how accurate the gun is to be a thumper.

SRH 9.5 inch barrel in 44 with a ultradot red dot on top love this gun...

Solid tie between my Smith & Wesson 657 classic hunter and Ruger Redhawk 7.5" 45 Colt. Dearly love them both. Both wear 2x scopes. Need to figure out how to post pictures.

Well I finally decided I really like the rubber grips on the Rugers SRH's myself. So I ordered a Super RedHawk in 44mag 7.5in barrel it should be here by Thursday this week. One other gun that I really liked playing with and the feal of was the 6in GP100. I had absolutely no desire for a 357 but now I wouldn't be supprised if I don't have one of them also in a couple weeks. Now I just need to decide what is going on top of the 44. I have always been a scope guy on everything but a lot of people on here like the 30mm ultra dot so I may try one.

My fa 83 in 41 mag. Ridiculously accurate, mild recoil and ive killed everything ive shot at with it handily. For deer ya cant do better imho.

I worked up a load for my 480 to use for deer this year. Speer 275 grain Deep Curl loaded to 1275 fps. Accurate and recoils like a 44.

Will be trying for this guy. Also have two 10 pointers that are mature, one with double eye guards actually making him a 12.

That's one heck of a buck! Good luck hunting him.

Beautiful buck.

FWIW my 1973-vintage Ruger Blackhawk 4-5/8" in .45 LC is my choice. Easy to carry and use, plenty of power for deer up to 50 yards (my field accuracy limit with open sights). I have used many different loads in it for deer, both cast and jacketed. Favorite bullets are the 250 XTP and 250 Lee RFN. Either one over 15 grains of BlueDot does the trick.


.

Whitetail handgun. .45 colt 5.5" Blackhawk. BUT, I have a .44 special 5.5" Blackhawk that is deadly on deer.

Tough call to pick just one.
My S&W 629 is the best offhand, point and shoot gun I own. I also like my Redhawk in 44 magnum, with or without a scope. That being said I am hunting this season with a scoped, X frame 460 S&W.

My favorite revolver is a Ruger Redhawk chambered in 429 GNR with a 2 x 6 Bushnell scope. The 429 is a 454 Casull necked down to 44 caliber. It shoots Hornady 240 XTP's at 1625 fps. and 250 grain LBT's at 1710 fps.

This will be my go to Revolver until I get a few down. Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter 44 Mag with Stalker Conversion. Leupold 4x pistol scope. Got this a few months back from Mark Hampton in one of his weak moments.

Thats a heck of a group from your SBH Hunter. I shott the 240 XTP's and H-110 in my 12" Encore. Sighted in at 50 yards, they drop 2 inches at 100.

Here is mine. The .44 Special with a few of his friends.

Very Nice! Good looking set up. WHERE did you get those grips. I need some for my Blackhawk Hunter.

Mike

Bad news Hawkeye...

I had those made by a gentleman who is no longer in the custom grip market. Sorry Bro!

WPrather You made a very good pick. I have a 9.5 SRH in 480 Ruger with a 30mm UltraDot, and my little brother has a 9.5 Inch SRH 44 Magnum with 30mm UltraDot. The Super feels good in the hand, they work great, they are heavy enough without being an anchor like the Big Smiths in 460 & 500.

Contact Ruger about swapping the BRAND NEW 1" Rings for 30mm Rings. They swapped them on mine with no problem.

Do you know the difference between the standard Hogue Grip and the Hogue Tamer? I am not sure if Ruger is putting the Tamer's on all the Super RedHawks now or just the 454/480. Push on the back of the grip where the web of your hand goes and see how soft it is. OR pull the grip and look for a Smurf Blue insert down the back on the inside of the grip. Depending on how warm your loads are you might want to swap to the Hogue Tamer if they are not on it now. They are plenty cheap and really soak up recoil.

You have 2 choices in 30mm UltraDots. The standard version has a fixed 4 MOA Dot Size. It works fine, but in low light, "Closing Time in a Valley" situations you will get a little Bloom the last few minutes of shooting light.

Normally in good light I will be set on 3 or 4 on brightness. I will keep checking the sight as the light goes down, and turning it down as the light fades to 1.

The Better Option is the 30mm MatchDot II. It costs a little more money, but has multiple reticle choices. The only one you need to concern yourself with is the 2 MOA Dot Size. Going from 4 MOA down to 2 MOA really helps with Bloom in low light. I will guarantee you if you had both to look through on your stand at Closing Time you would pick the MatchDot II. I am getting ready to order a second MatchDot II for the wifes 357 Maximum Contender barrel. I have one on my 35 Bullberry Contender barrel now.

My brother and I both have 6 Inch GP100's also. We mainly shoot them in our monthly ICORE Revolver Match. With a Weigand Combat Base they would make a great practice revolver. We both have 3 Inch GP100's and 2.25 inch SP101's. Did I mention I like Rugers.

I do not holster carry my Super RedHawk. I have a Boyt Case for a Contender that I had D rings sewn on for a shoulder strap. I carry my revolver cased under my left arm like a Muzzleloader Possibles Bag.

I live in Texas County about 7 miles North of Mark Hampton. Your picture of the Big Buck looks like you are probably in the Ozarks also.

Bob

Unless they have recently changed this sight, it won't fit between the factory ring spacing on the SRH. You can get an adaptor that locks in the Ruger ringmounts and takes Weaver style rings, or extension rings that fit the Ruger slots, that will accommodate the longer turret on the MatchDot.

[quote=Bob Roach]WPrather You made a very good pick. I have a 9.5 SRH in 480 Ruger with a 30mm UltraDot, and my little brother has a 9.5 Inch SRH 44 Magnum with 30mm UltraDot. The Super feels good in the hand, they work great, they are heavy enough without being an anchor like the Big Smiths in 460 & 500.

Contact Ruger about swapping the BRAND NEW 1" Rings for 30mm Rings. They swapped them on mine with no problem.

Do you know the difference between the standard Hogue Grip and the Hogue Tamer? I am not sure if Ruger is putting the Tamer's on all the Super RedHawks now or just the 454/480. Push on the back of the grip where the web of your hand goes and see how soft it is. OR pull the grip and look for a Smurf Blue insert down the back on the inside of the grip. Depending on how warm your loads are you might want to swap to the Hogue Tamer if they are not on it now. They are plenty cheap and really soak up recoil.

You have 2 choices in 30mm UltraDots. The standard version has a fixed 4 MOA Dot Size. It works fine, but in low light, "Closing Time in a Valley" situations you will get a little Bloom the last few minutes of shooting light.

Normally in good light I will be set on 3 or 4 on brightness. I will keep checking the sight as the light goes down, and turning it down as the light fades to 1.

The Better Option is the 30mm MatchDot II. It costs a little more money, but has multiple reticle choices. The only one you need to concern yourself with is the 2 MOA Dot Size. Going from 4 MOA down to 2 MOA really helps with Bloom in low light. I will guarantee you if you had both to look through on your stand at Closing Time you would pick the MatchDot II. I am getting ready to order a second MatchDot II for the wifes 357 Maximum Contender barrel. I have one on my 35 Bullberry Contender barrel now.

My brother and I both have 6 Inch GP100's also. We mainly shoot them in our monthly ICORE Revolver Match. With a Weigand Combat Base they would make a great practice revolver. We both have 3 Inch GP100's and 2.25 inch SP101's. Did I mention I like Rugers.

I do not holster carry my Super RedHawk. I have a Boyt Case for a Contender that I had D rings sewn on for a shoulder strap. I carry my revolver cased under my left arm like a Muzzleloader Possibles Bag.

I live in Texas County about 7 miles North of Mark Hampton. Your picture of the Big Buck looks like you are probably in the Ozarks also.

I actually live in St. Francios county but I work for Pace construction out of West Plains. We work all over the ozarks working on 60 at Mountain Grove right now. I do hunt in Texas County and Pulaski, have for the last 25-26yrs. From Licking to the back gate of Ft. Lenord Wood.

I actually put a 2.5x8x28 Weaver on it for now but I will be getting some 30mm rings and trying a red dot also. I already have a 30mm Millet at home that looks identical to the ultra dot that I can try to see what I like best. I haven't had a chance to do any reloading or work up any loads for it yet. Working out of town 6days a week puts a damper on pretty much everything. But I hope to get it sighted in this evening and shoot it some with a couple boxes of 240gr XTP's that I picked up.

I have a Ruger .480 SRH, I put it together about 10 plus yrs ago. My eyes must be getting old because my Burris Speed Dot is getting harder to see! Might have to go with something else soon. I am only carrying this out deer hunting now! Love the gun!!

Customized (Franken-Ruger) Ruger GP-100 357 Magnum.

The Matchdot won't fit, you are correct.

Well the only revolver I currently own is a new model black hawk in 41 mag with a 4 5/8 barrel and here in barrel minimum is 5 inches so I cant use it but a 380 is ok with a 5 inch barrel.... I am however considering adding an inch muzzle break to fix that... Never had the barrel off a revolver though however I am sure that it wont fit in the lathe on the frame so.....

If they measured a revolver from the breech face as they do with a semi-auto you'd have about a 6-1/4" barrel. It might be cheaper to sell your current revolver and buy a new one with a longer barrel than to have it braked.

Nah im a certified machinist would only cost me time I would rather have a longer barrel but I just dont have the money for a different gun however I've been rebuilding military surplus rifles for years so adding break is a small thing

My 7 1/2" SRH's are my fav choice for scoped use, carried in a cross draw "bucket" style shoulder holster.

8 3/8" 629 with tritium "night sights" in a bianchi cyclone cross draw belt holster when I want to hunt un-scoped.