I remain convinced that handgun hunters are the cream of the crop when it comes to hunting and shooting skills. I'll stack this group up against any other discipline. If it wasn't the most challenging and difficult sport, there would be more of us...

I agree copletely and whats funny is when you go back to shooting a rifle after been on the pistols for quite a while the rifle doesn't even feel right anymore. I'm starting to incorporate some long guns into my hunting rotation because of neurological tremors I have which can really screw up jy handgun shooting. One thing I accidentally walked into is the 1911 style guns I have in 460 Rowland, 45acp and even my 22. I find these guns are far easier to shoot for me and mhy tremors getworst with shooting the heavy hitters whereas the 1911's so cause as much of a problem and they are what I'd want to go in to a fight with. I still think yuo need to be rounded well in your schills as you age ther will be problems such as Parkinsons which are the type of symptoms I'm fighting and sometimes it's easier just to put down the handgun and pick up a rife to conatinue your hunting. There are many medical conditions out there that can make shouting a pistol difficult at best but if you go to rifle it's a whole new game. I was half asleep when I was writing athis but I think it made sense.

I shot a rifle the last weekend for the first time in a very long time, and my first 5-shot string/group was considerably better than the owner's. It was easy. I find when you get competent with a revolver, the rest comes pretty easily.

You're right, Gary, handgun hunters tend to be more skilled all the way around IMO.

I am in that phase where I see what you are talking about. I can shoot a rifle out to 300 yards, scoped of course, and hit any game animal at will. However, when I scoped my handguns, it took a little time to get it down, but I can now shoot milk jugs at will with a 460 passed 200 yards, and pick off squirrels and rabbits with a Mark III. But if ya take the glass off, its a whole new ballgame.

I am just now gaining confidence with my Colt Anaconda, and would only shoot at game out to 50 yards. I want it to be a 100 yard gun, but my abilities to do that are not there yet. Same with the 500JRH when it gets here. I want it to be a 100 yard gun, open sights.

I agree that our group will out shoot almost any discipline out there. But those in our group that can shoot open sights, and do it well, I personally believe those are truly the cream of the crop. I am not there ...yet!

Are we just talking hunting or are we talking about shooting disciplines like benchrest, long range benchrest, f-class, prone smallbore, or high power?

I've shot in some those competitions. They all require a different skill set. None of them are easy, at least if you want to be competitive. Can you take a group of average handgunners and put them up against an average group of benchrest shooters in a bench competition and expect them to win? In my experience no. They are very different skill sets. I think that's more of why I don't see a lot of people shooting different disciplines. Some of the guys I shot against in prone smallbore also shot in the mid range matches. They shot similar guns to their smallbores, wearing the same shooting coat and using the same sling. They don't change much between the matches.

Could you take a guy like Ernie, who is a great long range shooter, give him a rifle and expect him to win while in a sling shooting against the high power guys? Sorry Ernie, but I'd say no. Could he learn the skills, YES!

Not saying that a guy who likes handguns can't learn the different skills needed to be competitive.


Aaron

Aaron you're right but turn about is fair play, I bet I can take some of these guys and put them in a bench rest match and they will perform better on par than bench rest guys that we hand out big-bore revolvers to.

Shot much benchrest, high power, f-class, etc? I bet on average it'd be equal. On average guys that aren't used to shooting in br matches aren't going to do well. Guys that aren't used to shooting big bores aren't going to do well with them either.

Aaron

I believe that Gary's original post addressed "hunting & shooting skills" which I interpreted as a comparison between handgun hunters, as a group and rifle hunters, as a group. I am sure that some benchrest shooters also hunt, but the vast majority of "hunters" (handgun or rifle) do not shoot competitively.

I am aware of a friend's experience some years ago. He is a former champion IHMSA (hope that is correct) shooter and a widely regarded handgun hunter. He was involved in a "fun" shoot with shotguns. He missed 25 in a row. (He had never shot shotguns)

Each specific discipline is somewhat unique, especially competitive ones. If we discount competitive shooting and concentrate on recreational shooters and hunters, I agree with Gary's original post.

So what skill is it exactly that a revolver guy has that a rifle guy or archer doesn't? Ok, so you want to stick to hunting. I think bow hunters need the most skills. Especially the guys who do it from the ground. Their skills in the field have to be excellent. There are more of them because they get special seasons and extended hunting time, not because its easy.

I think it pays to be well rounded. I KNOW that I'm going to bring more to the table because I've shot benchrest, f-class, prone small bore, archery, etc. Each skill somewhat complements other disciplines. For example: the way that I reload ammo has changed because I have learned better ways to load extremely accurate ammo while shooting benchrest at 600 yards. I know that I'm much better at reading wind since I have thousands of rounds shooting f-class, where every shot is marked after its fired. Will it make a difference while out hunting, most of the time no. I see critters way to close for wind reading or accurate ammo to make a difference, but when that long poke does come I'll be prepared.

This is a handgun forum so I don't really expect any of you to not think that what your doing is the hardest, most challenging way to go about it.

Aaron

I think, generally speaking, a 3-lb revolver that generates 50 - 65 ft-lbs of recoil energy is more difficult to master with its short sight radius than a weapon that is supported by your whole body and pressed against your shoulder. Much easier to master a rifle in my humble opinion. Even the larger calibers, like the various .416s, .458 win mag/Lott, on up through the big doubles, of which I have shot fairly extensively are much easier to acclimate oneself to (with regards to recoil). Your mileage may vary.

From a field craft standpoint, I would put handgun hunters close to bow hunters as all of the same elements apply, yet we aren't as angle or range limited.

I believe shooting competatively in different disciplines enhances your ability in the field, it provides focus and confidence in your abilities.
Shot skeet competatively for about 4.5 years, made "AA" in all four guns including doubles, definitely improved my bird hunting skills.
Last 4 years have been shooting Bullseye and Olympic Free pistol and 10 meter Air pistol, these are all one handed precision shot disciplines up to 50 yards/meters.
Bullseye using a red dot scope, Olympic shooting is iron sites only of coarse.
Just made "Master" recently for both indoor and outdoor Bullseye conventional pistol.
Earned my distinguished revolver badge shooting a 6" Colt Python and on my way to my distinguished pistol badge shooting a modified Beretta 92SF, both of these are iron sites only.
Shot midrange F class for about a year and made "Expert".
All this should make me a well rounded hunter in the field.
Now stalking is another chapter

Clarence

Not when your talking about traditional archery, the shots are normally closer and you would have to take the sights off your revolver before you were able to start and compare the two disciplines.

I'm talking about field craft and nothing more.

I'm not sure if this is exactly where the thread was meant to go, but the hunter who discards all advances in hunting technology and takes game simply with a personally made spear has my respect and admiration. Using a handgun is like cheating by comparison.

I agree that a guy that chooses to use an iron sight revolver needs field craft that's closer to a bow hunter than a rifle hunter. For some people it might be the same level of field craft as an archer depending on how well they can shoot.

Aaron

I don't hunt with my handguns off of benches nor fancy rests, although I will lean up against a tree or post now and again. It takes a lot more skill to shoot a hangdun as I feel it is meant to be shot, offhand, than it takes to do the same with a rifle. I feel it is easier to shoot compound bow accurately at 50 yards than a handgun. The reason we are the minority we are is purely due to the difficulty of the task, IMO.

Become the bullet!

Ok Byron.

I do believe that Gary was just trying to compliment on what you guys have accomplished with a handgun compared to the others in the world.

The iron sight thing is what I was getting at also. I did so much archery that I got burned out on it. I did tournaments, worked in a bow shop, only participated in archery... the whole 9 yards. I got tired of it.

I've now been working with handgun hunting for several years, and I still don't feel NEAR as confident with a handgun as I do a bow. It took me no time at all to learn archery. It just "clicked" for me. But this handgun stuff, I'd bet my life savings that it is one of, if not THE hardest discipline to master. Long range with a rifle?? Not near as difficult as 150 yards with open sight big bore revolvers. At least not in my book. Granted, long range rifle shooting to me is 700 yards, and a target the size of a man hole cover. But I was ringing that thing in less than 15 minutes. Look through a scope, adjust it according to last shot, and send another one down range. Yeah, there is more to it than that, but I personally didn't feel nearly as challenged as I have while trying to get my open sight revolver in a kill zone at 100 yards.

That is what has drawn me to handgun hunting -- it is something I have to work at. Well, that and the fact that big bores make a lot of noise and just leave a damn big hole!!!

Who DOESN'T like that??!!

Precisely.

\

I agree completely, I can or at least used to be able to shoot tight groups out to 80yds with my compound and I was never able to do that off hand with a revolver, iron sights or scoped.

Gary I have to agree with you on this. I started hunting at the ripe old age of 6 with a bow and arrow. Shot my first deer with a bow at 8. It was a bow I mowed lawns to buy. It was a Ben Pearson. Then started hunting with a Winchester 30-30 then onto a rem 6mm mag. I was 18 and in college when I started to really hunt with a handgun and have been doing so for the past 32 years. I picked up my tactical bolt action 308 rem I built a few years ago that has a vortex razor sitting atop it just a few weeks ago. Dropped a ground hog on my buddies farm at 700 yards. That was a measured 700. I hadn't shot that rifle in over a year. Still on and so was I. I can tell you this if I go more then a few months without shooting the revolvers my skills start to decline. Just like with my USPSA shooting competition, if I'm away from it for very long my A class skills quickly decline. I know my years as a bow hunter honed my hunting skills, and they really came into light while stomping thru the Everglades chasing hogs and deer with my first real handgun, my old flat top Blackhawk in 44 mag. I have spent the last few years converting a young gentlemen over to handgun hunting. He is a marine captain and a damn fine rifle shooter, as all Marines are, but learning to shoot the revolver took a many a trips to the range and field to get his comfort levels up to asking it hunting. Well this past season he took a nice doe and a very very nice 9 pt. he is now thoroughly hooked on handgun hunting.

Hey Rod, you may have a handgun coming your way for a tune up and trigger job. Lol. He shot my Bisley Hunter you worked over and fell in love with it.

Gary, you are correct, it takes time to master the handgun and to put it into practical use takes a special breed.

Ive shot alot of competitions and they all have their own skill set. I would agree traditional archery is hardest but mastering a big handgun is tougher than compounds and such. As far as skills from handgunning that would be hard to master for other shooters is i believe the grip and control of te recoil and limiting vertical stringing. That is unlike anything else in the game. Imho benchrest is more about the equipment than any other discipline. F class andyhe long distance is just easier imho with the right equipment. Obviously woodsmanship is higher in te field for revolver hunters

A good trigger really does make a major difference. Have him shoot me an email, I also give vets and active duty military a break.

I will!

We work harder to be proficient at it, if ya don"t use it ya lose it, if you can shoot a handgun of any type, you can shoot anything.

I agree completely.

Gary, I`ve always said to become a good handgun hunter is the toughest to learn compared to the other types. Trigger squeeze, sights, breathing, rest and then add an animal at 75 yards....
Forget about it.....as most people do.

Two groups come to mind, of folks I've met, when those two phrases are used, "hunting and shooting skills". Traditional archers and handgunners. Trigger squeeze, sights, breathing,and rests if possible for handgunners as jfj says and pick a spot,smooth pull, focus and release for the traditional guys, unless you are a gap shooter then you have a little more to think about. Both groups of individuals are true outdoorsman IMO.