I am just starting hunting with a handgun and need some advise. I have bow hunted and rifle hunted for 25 years but want to try something new. I bought a RBH in .357 last winter and killed 2 wild hogs with it. I'm hooked but want something with more horsepower. I'm a wheelgun fan and I'm looking at a Ruger bisley hunter in .41. The guy wants $525 new in the box. Fair price? Good caliber for hunting deer and hogs here in the SE?

Welcome! The .41 is an awesome cartridge. My first question is...do you handload?? My Blackhwak 4 5/8" barrel gun dropped a doe at about 50 yards using a 210gr Keith style bullet and W296. For a better all around cartridge I prefer the .44 Magnum or .45 Colt. Especially since you have the chance of getting into a mean and nasty ol'hog in the SE...a bigger bore diameter and wide, flat nose cast bullet has more "bang-flop" ability. My .44 shoots a 320gr bullet at 1300fps and the .45 Colt does 1300fps with a 340gr bullet. Heck...I've even got a fun load that shoot a 405gr bullet from the .45 Colt at 1000fps.

The price seems a little high to me...I bought my .44 Magnum Hunter model for $450 NIB and a .45 Colt Hunter Model for $400 used.

I'm not a handloader, but i've got a hunting buddy who is. he's pushing me towards the .45LC because he's got all the goodies to reload that caliber. The .357 did the job but I didnt get an exit on either hog and the tracking job was tough. The area I hunt is really wet and thick. Looking for something to put a 150lb deer or 200lb hog down quick.

Hi FLS, try www.gunbroker.com There's some good deals there.

I do not know anything about the 41 magnum, I am a 44 mag. and 45LC shooter. But that price does sound on the high side.At the gun show in SC this weekend I saw plenty of Ruger BH's under $400.00 I would agree on the 45LC if you have access to handloading. Your friend the handloader might be on to something with the 45LC, check out John Linebaugh's articles on his website.

525.00 seems a little high to me. I 've seen NIB for 475, but then different areas of the country seem to have different prices. The 41 mag seems like a good round, but don't overlook the 44 mag, an even better round. And I gues if you pushed me the 45 colt is a great one too. Good luck in your quest and welcome to handgun hunting.

Hello, and WElCOME to Handgun Hunt! If I remember right when the Accu Sport Bisley guns first came out they were around $439 to $450 bucks. Then Ruger brought back the Blackhawk hunter and now offers the Bisley hunter. I would think you could get into one for less than $500 new.

The 41 mag is a cool caliber but I would go with the 44 mag. Great caliber and factory ammo with a wide selection of bullets is readly available. If your buddy will reload the 45 Colt for you then that will help with ammo cost, and the old colt is no slouch in a Ruger.

i believe the 45 n 41 ruger super bh hunters are limited runs and maybe only offered by certain distributors (davidsons?) buying time may be limited....so that would explain a higher going price. depends on how bad ya want that particular model.

i'd think any of the 3 calibers would work fine on deer n hogs with the right bullet and perform similarly. try n get him down some on price.

Not for sure about the .41, but the limited run in .45 was done by Lipseys (I think) and it's a Bisley model in the Hunter. I saw two of the "regular" grips Hunters in .45 at Cabelas (Ft. Worth) a couple of weeks ago, but I don't remember what they were going for.

the bisley hunter in 41 was special run and therefore may be a little more. i think you have chosen a good gun... i have one in 44. as far as caliber goes, it really comes down to whether or not you intend to reload. if not, it's the 44 hands down...way more factory selection than any other. i've never hunted hogs, but if i did it would be with a hard cast bullet between 300 and 320 gr. federal, buffalo bore, and corbon among others. if you do handload then it's just personal preferance...41=less recoil...45=bigger hole. and nothing wrong with the 44 if you handload as well. if you find either one for around $500, then all is well. you will have purchased one of the finest hunting revolvers to be had. good luck!

Good gun, fun caliber, price on the high side.

"and the old colt is no slouch in a Ruger."

There may be another reason why your friend is pushing yopu toward the 45 Colt. It's actually a kick-butt caliber. When handloaded for a strong gun like the Ruger or Freedom Arms revolvers it can EXCEED velocities of the 44 mag and use heavier bullets to boot. Moreover, all the crap you may hear about weak cases is just that. Modern cases are actually thicker than the 44 mag.

i have a s&w 629 classic.i would stick with a 44 caliber or larger.

Mikefrompa, did you notice the date this thread was started?

I have to agree with the 45LC, I use a 460 XVR and regularly switch my loads between the 460, 454 casull, and 45 LC depending on the range and game. Using a strong framed revolver you can really push the .45 LC. But the .41 is a great gun I've seen some 100 yd tack drivers. I'd go for big bullet though with those big Florida hogs.