I am just curious. I started in 1978 with a Intercontinental Arms Dakota .357. The second handgun I carried was a 4" model 19. reflex264

S&W M29 6 12" in 1974 when I turned 21!! Shot a nice 18" 8-pt buck with it on the maiden voyage. 245gr CSWC sized to .429 over 21gr of IMR2400 and CCI Mag primer. Took him in the chest at 45 yards. no bullet recovery.

T/C Contender in 7-30 Waters.

For big game, Ruger SBH in 44 mag (of course) if your talking centerfires. That's was around 1982

Ruger Single Six for rimfire and I started hunting small game about 1970

My first and current hunting handgun is a Smith and Wesson Model 460 XVR. Not quite a beginner's gun, but I'm getting pretty good at shooting it.

The first handgun I hunted with was a 6" S&W 686 in .357 Magnum. Carried it a few times, but never pulled the trigger on anything.

It wasn't until I started carrying a Super Redhawk that I was able to successfully take a deer with a handgun.

My first was with a model 1858 Remington replica black powder pistol that I built in my dorm room at CSU as a kit in 1981. Those kind of things were still acceptable. Killed many a snow show hare jack rabbits sage grouse and a ton more I can't remember. The next year I bought a ruger black hawk flat top in 44 mag and killed a white tail in my home state of fl and several hogs. The following year I took a mule deer and several coyotes with it and I've been hunting with handguns ever since.

I bagged my first handgun deer - a young PA buck - with an iron sighted Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 Magnum in 1980. A 50 yard side heart shot. Ruined me forever as a rifle hunter. LOL..."

S&W model 29

Ruger Super Black Hawk 357mag 6 1/2 inch barrel open sights mainly hunted groundhogs.

Good old s/w 29. 6" pipe. My first handgun, my first handgun deer kill, still my favorite hand gun. :-)

Dogsbreath

Ruger 71/2" new model Blackhawk .45 colt. I lost that gun when my house burned down in 1991. I now own 3 .45 Colt's.

I bought my first hunting handgun, the .45 Blackhawk in 1974. Been hunting with handguns since. Have not killed anything with a rifle since 1985.

High Standard Sport King 4 3/4 inch .22 in 74, added a 6 3/4 in bl later. First deer with a 10 in T C 30-30 .They both are still my favorite guns.

Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter Bisley 44. I re barreled it with a 10" Green Mountain barrel and used it to take my first handgun deer last year. It's got a new Mcgowen barrel on it now so it's like starting over this year.

First was a single six 10- 12" barrel. With the 22 mag barrel, I was awsome on rabbits, birds, etc.

.36 caliber M1851 Colt replica. It was used on groundhogs until I turned 18(1976) and could get a permit for cartridge guns. Then a Ruger 6.5 inch Blackhawk .357 for groundhogs and squirrels. A 4 inch .41 magnum S&W M57 killed my first handgun deer (1987) when it became legal.

A S&W mod 57 .41 Mag 6" (Could not find a M 29 .44). I Killed a big bull caribou with it in 1970 at age 18, and have hunted exclusively with a revolver ever since!!

Bob

back around 1979 a ruger 4 5/8" blackhawk in 41 mag. never got a shot at a deer with it but killed alot of snakes with homemade shot shells. wish I still had that gun.

.375 JDJ Contender. First hunt a deer at 240 yards...I was hooked!

Ruger SBH 44 mag with a 240 Hornady and 24gr/w296.

Ruger Redhawk with 2X Leupold started the madness!

7mm-08 encore with 120 Ballistic tips at a little over 100 yards.

This is a very interesting cross section for sure. Looks like the .44 mag got most started. reflex264

Taurus 94, 22lr. Groundhogs. Moved to a Ruger
single six with a 2x scope for squirrels. Bought my SRH 454 for Delaware's first deer handgun season. Haven't used my shotgun since!

dan wesson 44 mag. never did take anything with that gun but steel

Ruger Bisley 45 with a 5.5 inch barrel and a Super Blackhawk Hunter also in 45 Colt.

30/30 contender

TC Contender 357 mag. I was only 13 at the time so I was still scared of the recoil that the older people said the 44 mag had. Of course, having never shot one, I didn't know any better. But still, the ole 357 did ok.

Mine was a whitetail doe with a 7 1/2 inch SS SBH 44 mag. Don't remember on small game.

TC Contender Super 14, 7mm TCU

My first big bore hunting revolver was a 7.5" Ruger Bisley 44 mag. I probably took 10 deer with that gun before I started looking for something better. I'm still looking -- but at least the search is fun!

Well my first was a taurus raging bull 454 on a cow elk with hornady 240 gr xtp mags. Poleaxed her and then a few months later i started lugging ole faithful around my 10" fa 83 when the taurus kept breaking.

T/C Contender, 10 inch 22 Hornet. Killed two turkeys.

I moved to Ohio in 1976 and chased fox squirrels with my Ruger Blackhawk in 357mag. I used 38 wadcutters and missed every squirrel I shot at. It was a great time. Moved back to NY in 1982 and took my first handgun whitetail with a Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44mag.

My first handgun was a 460 Smith and Wesson with a 12" barrel. I THOUGHT it would be the one gun that would do it all since it shoots three different rounds. Deer with 45 colt, bears with 454, and elk with the 460. I shot my first buck with it, and then sold it not long after. There were times I wish I had it back, but then I built a single shot 460 on a TC Encore Pro Hunter frame with a 14" MGM barrel for a "long distance" handgun.

I've been VERY happy with it, and it has erased the pain of letting go of my first hunting handgun... I think.

6"bl Rossi 357 mag.

I killed a squirrel with a Jennings 22 I guess about 25 years ago. I bought a SBH in 41 mag and carried it along with my rifle for a couple years. Never killed anything but a snake and a coyote with it. My first handgun deer fell to a contender in 30-30.

S&W 4" Model 57 and then a 6.5" 3 screw Blackhawk.

T/C Contender 10" 22 lr. added 10" 30/30 win barrel with leopold 2x later for larger game.