my ruger SBH bisly hunter just cam in. as i said i am just starting into the handgun hunting adventure!although i am not new to shooting a pistol, hunting with one is a differant story.so any tips or failers that you might have for me would be great. ammo, technque,scopes,anything! thanks MS

The Bisley Hunter is one of the best hunting revolvers going. A couple of things you can do is add a Wolff spring kit and a Belt Mountain base pin. These are inexpensive additions and will help the overall feel of the gun and the trigger pull. As far as scopes, I have tried the 2x and 4x Leupolds and a couple of variables and settled on the 2x Leupold. I just like the feel and look of this scope for this gun. If you are new to using a scoped handgun then I would definately recomend the 2x.

First off....WELCOME to the forum!
Keep in mind...that once you get started, there's no going back A quick note on why I "handgun hunt".

I have whitetail hunted for about 32 of my 38 years. As with most of us, in the beginning any deer was a good deer. As time went by and I aged some, I begin to just persue the "Trophy" quality deer. Since I was'nt traveling out of state for hunting or going on the "Pay hunts", My odds of taking what I considered a trophy class deer was pretty slim. Also......even though I know I needed to take a certain number of does off my property, I just could'nt bring myself to taking them with a rifle. The fun just was'nt in my hunting anymore. Most of the time if I saw a doe or a smallish(14-15") buck, I never even reached for the rifle or even got too excited about it. Don't get me wronge.........I got excited, but not the way I used to. So is the reason for me to give handgun hunting a try. I felt that if I was trying something "new" and more of a challenge then the "fun" factor would come back to the hunt.
Did this happen?..........You better believe it!!!! I have more fun toteing the short irons in one season than I usually have in several years of packing the long guns! Now when that managment doe or normal size buck is on their way in, I get those same shakes and jitters that was the reason I started hunting in the first place!!!! The "FUN" is back in the sport for me!!
Anyway........just a little note on why I love this sport so much. Now......on to your question on advice or tips. Keep in mind that I am no expert and will never claim to be. I do believe even with my limited experience, that can share some advice or tips that may help you in the start of this sport.
First and foremost.......get a quality handgun that is capable of cleanly taking the intended game and PRACTICE, PRACTICE and PRACTICE some more!!!!! Since you said you already had a Ruger SBHH, you have as good a revolver as any IMHO. Most handgun hunters that I know prefer some sort of optics. The optics you decide on should be suited for the type of hunting and terrain you intend to use the gun in. On a revolver I prefer a fixed power scope either in 2x or 4x such as a leupold, weaver or the alike. Let distance and terrain determine the magnification you choose. I entend on most of my revolver work to be out to 100-125yrds so I went with the Leupold 4x. Not saying you should'nt use a variable, just that a fixed power suited my revolver needs better. I mainly use my Ruger SBHH .44mag for my "Hog" gun. The choice of optics is strictly yours to decide.
As for practicle practice.......I sugest a .22rf of some sort. It affords lots of practice at a really economical price. I use a .22rf barrel on one of my Contenders to roam around the back yard with my shooting stix and just pick out leaves, sticks, stumps or soda cans I tose out to practice as much like a real field condition as possable. This has helped me this year tremendously! Naturally....if you willbe stand hunting, put up a stand in the back yard if possable and do alot of shooting from there. Try to keep it as close to your hunting style as possable. Besides keeping you sharp for the upcoming season, it's alot of fun!
Next.......buy and shoot quality ammo. After alot of research on this for my .44mg I settled on the Speer 270grn Gold Dot bullet. The bullet has a reputation for staying together and retaining most of it's original wieght. This is type bullet I feel is need to tackle those tough shouldered hogs.
Just a few tips on the Ruger I got from the guys on here when I asked the same question as you. Buy yourself a "Belt Mountain" base pin. This will tighten up the cylinder play on the gun real nice. Also, I put in a spring kit from "Brownells" to smooth up the triger some as well as lighten the pull. I feel that these are a big plus for this gun.

After that..........Practic, pratice and you know the rest? Practice some more! I could go on forever talking about this sport that I have come to love so much but I wont! there are alot of guys on here that can offer up much more that me and I'm sure they will. Listen to what they have to say with an open mind. Most of the advice you get on here will be "dead on the money", these guys are talking from experience. I know they have helped me alot!!!

Feel free to ask questions when ever you have them. The guys on here will be glad to help! Good luck with this new venture and hold on and enjoy the ride!!! It's addictive!!!!!!!!

Hello & welcome to the forum mstake.
I'll second part of the suggestions already given, & then run counter on another just to keep it interesting(and to give you my honest opinion).
First, I agree you've got a first rate handgun, & the two modifications listed will make it even better. You could have spent much more, but would have not received much more for the added investment.
Secondly, nothing beats practice. There is no substitute.
Some folks will tell you they only shoot "full power" hunting loads in their .44 mag, 45 colt, or 454. Maybe that works for them, but for me that would mean 320 gr hard cast gas checked bullets every shot. That's $23.00 per hundred here, & I can by plain old cast 240's for $32.00 per 500. That saves me $85.00 on lead alone for every 500 I shoot. Powder also goes almost twice as far. That's the only way I can afford alot of practice. That said, I still shoot a cylinder or two of hunting loads most every time out.

Now, here's where I differ. For an optical sight(I'm a firm believer in them on a hunting gun, especially as my eyes get older) on a revolver, I prefer a red dot sight. I've heard horror stories of glow under low-light conditions & such, & don't doubt it can be a problem with some, but I got & used an "Ultra-Dot 4" on my S&W mod. 29 .44 mag this year, & loved it. Both the dot brightness & size are adjustable, with 10 brightness settings & 4 dot sizes. There was always one that was right for the conditions. Durning the early morning & late evening hours as light conditions changed, I'd just take a sight picture every 20-30 minutes or so( I like to do that anyway) & change it if need be. As far as battery life, I forgot to turn it off one day after showing it to a friend. It was left on on a low setting, & when I took it out of the case a week later, it was still on! It went thru several months of heavy loads, bein dropped once & landing on the scope from about 4' high on a packed gravel surface(wish I could blame it on someone else. Pulled the holster out of the truck with the gun in it & the retention strap wasn't on properly)Alaskan spring & fall rains, cold temps, & such & never missed a beat.
If I could have any sight I wanted to on that gun at no charge, I'd go right back to this exact one.
On my Contenders, I like magnifing scopes, but at revolver ranges, & especially in any kind of brush, I'll stick with the red-dot. Just MY preference, & many here have a LOT more experience than I do.
Have fun, & you're going to love it.
By the way, what part of the country are you in?

Welcome and get ready for the fun. I will second the comments so for on here about the little items to add to your Ruger, they will help. And as my ole partner JDJHNTR above said PRACTICE, PRACTICE. It is alot of fun to shoot the short iron. And what ever you do, please dont make the mistake I made last year and buy cheap accessories to get by with. It will cost you more in the long run. Now I am not saying go out and buy the most expense things out there mind you, just be sure to get good quality items like, leupold, weaver, burris such as that. So again Welcome to fun of short irons.

I can second, or is it third, the hook that is handgun hunting. I got my first deer with a handgun this season and it is intoxicating. It was an average shot for a rifle, at 115 yards, but for a pistol, it was like I was a kid again and, dispite all the hours of practice, I almost forgot how to shoot the thing. Adrenaline rush like I've never had since I was a boy hunting with my father. I'm hooked and I'm sure you will be too. One things for certain, practice more than you ever have with a rifle and your still not pracitced enough for that moment of truth with a pistol. But heck, you've got the whole year to bang away now, by next hunting season you'll be a crack pistol shot. good luck and welcome to the forum.

mstake, welcome to the board.
You have just took a step into a world of hunting that most never knew was there. I am probably pretty green to most on this forum(been handgunning for 10 years) and these guys have taught me more in the past few months than I have taught myself in the past few years. Handgunning will teach you humility also. Just learned this over the last days of the season, not only did I miss my first deer with a handgun this year, but I missed my first three this year. Listen to this group of guys and you'll learn alot.
Good luck and welcome aboard.

Welcome to the site...Being a newbie to handgun hunting myself all I recommend is practice, practice and practice some more...Any when you feel you are really competent...Practice some more.