What's The Largest Game You've Taken

Indicate the weight of the heaviest animal you've taken with a handgun. Feel free to expound on what the animal was below.

Just a large whitetail that field dressed at 150 pounds.

350 pound boar...

An Axis deer which was pushing 275.

Alaskan Yukon Moose with a custom Encore in .35 Whelen, and a brown bear with a .375 JDJ Contender.

I killed a 2200 pound Indian Water Buffalo, big Yak, large Nilgai, and a 430 pound Russian Boar.

Wild hog a little over 300 lbs using 44 SBH. Had to stop it before it caught any of the dogs.

A russian Boar with my S&W .460. He was 200lbs on the scale.

Several bull elk-Primarily with a 284 Win XP

1 Coyote with Savage Striker/ 7-08. 1 fox with 36 cal. revolver.

Can't find a weight that low on the poll.

rlb that would be less than (<) 200 lbs.

Shiras moose with a FA 454. My guess (cause I have no idea) would be in the 600 to 700 lb range.

Shiras moose w/454

I have taken sevral pigs that were 250+ but the Mule Deer I took last year was the largest Deer I have ever taken. He was around 200 dressed

Everyone likes to see pics too.
Also, what kinds of optics are being used the most.
What did you use on the 45-70?
Just some rookie questions from a rookie.

Whitetails with 44 - but our Southern version usually lands squarely in the lowest Category!

Should have taken a handgun to Africa...

bison 1700#, S&W 500 PC, 6 1/2", 440gr. Lee cast wfngc,
lil' gun, near max, 1 shot 78 yards.

Shot placement? Sounds impressive anyway.

Gary asks "with a handgun"...

I've hunted New Hampshire black bear most of my adult life. Can't say how many I have encountered. Mostly small sows and 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 year olds, and cubbies. The one bear that I felt was of the size and quality that I desired to take field dressed just shy of the desireable 300 mark at 294 lbs. It was a healthy quality bear though (and sure "looked" more than 300 to me at the time!). I felt very deserving to have taken that bruiser as I still-hunted him the hard way just as I do big whitetails.
I have taken a number of heavy New Hampshire whitetail bucks with rifle and revolver. (They did not "all" have trophy size racks, not unusual for the severe winter climate of the upper northeast. Sometimes the bucks up here grow bigger, faster than the antlers are capable of catching up.) The largest with revolver was... I think the 230 lbs. He had a very wide rack with only 9 points (4x5) on heavy beams. When I was younger, the one and only doe that I have ever shot (black powder) dressed out at something over 150 lbs. I can't remember the exact weight but she was magnificent!
Then there was the time that this giant red squirrel sounded the intruder alarm on me while I was stalking crows on the edge of some cut corn with my 12 gauge, full choke and #4's...
I really don't know just how big he was, as after the crows scrammed I lost my composure and the squirrel evaporated!

water buffalo, highland bull, and 800lb piggy.... :?)

Pictures of Cashmoney's animals are on Franchise's pictures.

Mikewin,

The shot on the bison was a quartering with the bullet striking the left shoulder, fracturing it, taking the top of the heart and a portion of the lung, passing through the diaphram and passing through the right posterior rib cage

sorry folks, i re-read my original post, the bison was 1300#, not 1700#. you'd think with my "one finger" typing i wouldn't hit the wrong key. the other info is correct.

My Kudu, 110 yards double lunged .45 LC 330gr WFNGC MBW bullet at 1260 FPS was under skin on far side From Bisley HunterThe Kudu went 30 yards!!

Forgot about an old bison I took with 454....he was a big boy and had to weigh more then the Shiras moose I mentioned above.

A Yukon moose with a .375 JDJ.

Hunlee has only shoot white tailed deer with 375 windchester butt there has ben reports of ellaphonts and worce being shot with handguns!!!!!!!!!!!

hunlee

Mary Jane; 5'2" 185lb but a lot of fun!! squirmed so much I thought I was fighting a big sow! Sorry for the sic humor. 6x6 Elk, BC 315, 175yds at 10,000ft with a 15" 375JDJ; 285 Speer African Grand Slam over a stiff charge of 4064. It's on my wall and in my belly....and on the bragging board! Mary jane is still looking for a husband, as far as I know...Hey Hunlee????

Alaskan Barren Ground Caribou around 350-375 lbs. Took it with a 7 1/2" Ruger Redhawk SS in .44 mag with a 2X Burris Pistol scope.
Bullet was a Joel Penny's 300 gr. GC. 4 rounds broad side at 125 yds in the lungs through and through. 20-30 Whitetail deer but the caribou was the biggest.
Flyrodder

Argentine water buffalo ~2000 lbs, (FA 9" .475 Linebaugh). Entre Rios province. Water buffalo were first imported to Argentina in the 1920's from the Indian subcontinent.
Australian water buffalo, also ~ 2000 lbs. taken in the N.T. (Arnhemland) with a 12 1/2" T/C .375 JDJ in 2000, the last buffalo to be legally handgunned in that country. Politicians changed the bureaucrats in charge, and they stopped issuing import permits for handgun hunting the following year.
Mature water buffalo bulls are typically ~ 200-500 lbs heavier than cape buffalo bulls.
Also took a Himalayan Yak in 1991 with a T/C 12" .45-70 Contender, but they are smaller than water buff also, perhaps 1800 lbs.
Several North American bison, large black bears, elk, hogs, etc. have been taken with FA .475 L's and .500 WE's.

Several nice 14" - 15" Wyoming Antelope as well as many Doe Antelope. .308 15" Encore and a 16" 7-30 Waters Contender. I have a 6mm-223 in a 15" Contender Barrel that has accounted for many Prarie Dogs.

bbybee welcome good guys here you and learn alot and we will
help you spend money forsure. lol
what load are you using in 6mm/223 i picked one up have not
worked a load for it.
larry223

4 Water Buffalo Bulls each around 2000 lbs plus 1 cow around 800 lbs. All were taken in Australia's NT, with a 44 Ruger Redhawk in June of this year. While you can't legally import your handgun anymore, as of 2008 you can get a handgun hunting permit from Australia to legally use the outfitters handgun.

Moose, AK, 358 JDJ. Two shots and down.

Bill in OR

The wild hog I took that was pictured in my article on my SSK Beauty and Beast.

Yukon moose probably weighed about 1,200 lbs. I should know. Had to pack it out!!

Whitetail doe...I wish I could say cape buffalo.

Largest was a russian boar, 225 lbs
There were much larger ones but this one was PURTY!

It's not a competition, I was just curious what size critters people have taken and where the majority would fall. Congratulations on your doe - I bet you were pretty dang proud of taking that doe with a handgun.

Largest: whitetail doe .308 Win. Encore.
Smallest: gray squirrel .22 Ruger MKIII Hunter.
Large or small, they both are memorable. The doe because she was the first blood on the Encore pistol. The squirrel because it was about 0 degrees, I was sitting in the woods, drinking coffee out of my thermos, with a good friend. He missed one with his rifle. Man I love hunting!

Several deer, none weighed over 175 pounds and different calibers were used. 7BR ,7IHMSA,30-30(14").358 JDJ and 6.5JDJ and others. MANY ground hogs with all kinds of guns from .17 to the 45-70!

I shot a stump that looked like a big ground hog. It was close to dark as I stalked ever so quietly towards my target. Finally I raised up and took aim with my 5.5 in blackhawk 44 mag.
I let her rip as the 240 grain xtp smacked the stump.
Perfect shot..except to my amazment when the ground hog didnt flinch?

I shot a 450 lb. feral hog in Moss Hill, TX with my Encore 375JDJ pistol. Dropped right in his tracks at 150 yards. I shot another hog in the same place with a S&W 44 mag 5 times before he finally expired. 3 times in the head & twice thru the heart & lungs. They are tough to kill. I just bought a 15" 460 S&W for my Encore for hog hunting just to have an option from the 375JDJ because it is hard to find factory T/C ammo for it anymore & I don't know anything about reloading but if I'm going to continue shooting the 375JDJ I guess I am going to have to get into it. Anyone hae a suggestion on the best muzzel brake or compensator for my new 460 S&W or who to send it to to have it installed?

You can get loaded 375 JDJ ammo directly from SSK Industries.

I tried them & they didn't have any & didn't know when they would get anymore 220 grain SP from Hornady. Evidently Hornady has quit making the 220 SP bullets until sometime next year.

One 5 pt Bull Elk, One Cow Elk, 4 Antelope, Numerious Mule Deer and I lost track of how many Whitetail deer I have taken. The meat is my trophy. Been packin' a Ruger custom 44 with 4 5/8 and my cast bullets handloads. Never had a complaint yet. My Ruger has a 4 digit serial number. It was made a long time ago.

For 375 JDJ ammo you can try qual-cart.com. Click on wildcat ammo

A 250 Lb, black bear with a T/C Contender at 20yds, in 7-30 Waters,140 gr, Nosler Bal.Tip handload. from a tree stand 12 feet high. Bullet entered the base of the neck and the bear folded..
That same gun combo has taken three antelope(one shot at over 275 yds. (Creedmore firing position),one mule deer, and six whitetails..Every one of those shots, the animal dropped like hit by lightning, except for that antelope at 275,took five steps...8-)

First hunt with a hand gun, Mule deer 2x3 at 30yds. It weighed 98# hanging with hide and head off. I was shooting a 6" 629-4 with a 2.5x scope using my handloads of 20.0gr. of N-110 under a hardcast 240gr.RNFP. One shot in the boiler house and the deer sat down on his rear end as if you told a dog to sit. Then he fell on his side and that was it for him. I was very impressed as to the little meat damage found when I skinned him. Just one nice hole all the way thru. I have been reading lots of articals on bullet selection and was wondering if my load combination was correct in the eyes of you experinced hunters or was it just beginners luck? I have read where alot of people shoot jacketed bullets like XTPs and then thier are the hard cast folks. I just want to make sure my future kills are humane like the first. Thanks

First hunt with a hand gun, Mule deer 2x3 at 30yds. It weighed 98# hanging with hide and head off. I was shooting a 6" 629-4 with a 2.5x scope using my handloads of 20.0gr. of N-110 under a hardcast 240gr.RNFP. One shot in the boiler house and the deer sat down on his rear end as if you told a dog to sit. Then he fell on his side and that was it for him. I was very impressed as to the little meat damage found when I skinned him. Just one nice hole all the way thru. I have been reading lots of articals on bullet selection and was wondering if my load combination was correct in the eyes of you experinced hunters or was it just beginners luck? I have read where alot of people shoot jacketed bullets like XTPs and then thier are the hard cast folks. I just want to make sure my future kills are humane like the first. Thanks

White tail doe with open sight 454 SRH. Aimed right under the chin at 35 yds & hit about 6" low. Fell over DRT.

whitetail.
Not much else around here

A javelina taken with a .44 mag Super Redhawk. I have plans for an elk next fall, but that all depends on the economy...or my ability to convince my wife that I need a .475 linebuagh!

Just whitetail at this point, but set my sights on something bigger, Boar or black bear. .44 Mag.

4x4 whitetail, 454 SRH @ 80 yds. dropped right there, field dressed at 190 lbs.

Big old boar 301 lb 44 black hawk

Boar 75 yds 325lb single shot 475 Wildey.

i have a BFR 500 little liter then s&W 500

I looked at 500 just wanted to throw a slow moving sleddge hammer at them. So I got the 45-70 love it my favorite gun now.

Don't back out of an elk hunt just because you don't have the 475 yet, that 44 will cut one down very easily. BUT, I fully understand the reasoning and I wish you luck with being VERY convincing with the wife

Alaska Yukon Moose, 1100lbs, with a Ruger Super Redhawk, .454casul, Corbon 360gr Penatrators,

Any details on that shot?

I'm trying to develop a .44mag load for moose myself but have had more success with the 270gr Belt Mtn Punch bullet than with the Cor-Bon 305gr Penetrator in that caliber.

2 white-tail does maybe 100lbs a piece.

The shot was at 45 yards, I hit him broad side through the should, both lungs had a huge hole in them and the heart was mush. The bullet went through both shoulders and exited the off side, The Bull walked 20 yards and fell over, I couldnt get a second one in him or I would have, It was a one shot deal he gave me a small opening and that was it,
I think a good hardcast would have been a little better for the job, but I didnt have time to work up a load for this particular revolver, and the Corbons shot fantastic.

Thanks! Sounds great.

No problem, I love the 454 for big stuff like moose and the such,
Hope this helped you some.

It certainly did, I don't have a 454 but if you can take a 1100lbs moose in Alaska with that apparent ease, I'll be able to do it with my 44mag with the right load, especially if the animal is slightly smaller (such as in New England).

I forget where I read it before, but there was an article about someone using the .44mag for moose in alaska with the 300gr hornady xtp bullet, if i remember the shot was at 70 yards and the bull took 2 rounds but went down in like 10 yards from the original shot.

Here are a few pictures of some of the big game that I have taken with a handgun

Great photos and Beautiful Trophies!

Thanks, here are a couple more.

Thats a Nice looking Bison there, good job.

real nice .bis always wanted to take one thats awsome

JWP475, what are the sixguns used in the pictures? Thanks.

GS

I'm trying out this photo thing, not sure if it will work!

Doc

[img]http://www.handgunhunt.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=3043[/img]

The Large Bison was taken with one shot with th 500 Linebaugh shooting the 525 grain WLFN at 1100 FPS


The Moose and the Bear a 475 Linebaugh with the 385 grainLFN at about 1300 or 13500 FPS


The smaller Bison was taken with a 475 Linebaugh and 420 LFN at about 1380 FPS


The Asian buffalo was taken with the 500 JRH with a 425 grain Wilde meplat flat point at about 1380 FPS and was also shot with aa 475 with 420 grain LFN at 1380 FPS.

I broke the on side support shoulder bone with the first shot from the 500 JRH (bullet exited off side shoulder) and the revolver tied up, I then grabed the 475 and this shotbroke the off side shoulder and also exited. The buff collasped wth no suport bone left to support his wieght

105 pound whitetail doe with my Kimber 10mm.

With my 300 win mag I killed an 850 lb 6x6 elk,with my 44 mag revolver open sites I killed a 650 lb cow elk, and a 120 lb doe with my bow. Thats the list by weight.

two AK moose so far, both went down like someone dropped a dump truck on 'em.

with what kind of gun if I may ask? A revolver moose hunt is high on my dream list...

performance center 500 mag from smith/wesson.

guessed about as much - that must be a great moose gun. What bullets?

first moose with 440 hard cast with a 90% meplat, second with 420 hard cast that had more of a truncated cone shape. switching to jacketed bullets from now on. next goal is a brown/grizzly

OK. Why the switch to jacketed bullets? Esp. for brownies?

I guess it is my time to chime in. 1940 pound american bison.

Recoil

I get to add a 325+ pound pig to the list!!