Today I connected on a handgun hunt for the first time in almost 20 years. I used to handgun hunt quite a bit. But once I got interested in muzzleloading, handgun hunting really took a back seat. I was fairly successful when I first started with a Contender in .357 Max and a Redhawk in .44 cal. Foolishly sold both guns. About 5 years ago I got the bug again and I picked up a G2 in 44mag. Well I haven't totally dedicated myself to handgun hunting and haven't had a shot with it whenever I had it with me. Been carrying my muzzleloader this season but today I decided to bring the G2. I had planned to use it the rest of the season.
About 3:30 a doe came running up the hill I was sitting on with a buck in hot pursuit. She saw me and veered away. He stopped. I was on him with my Vanguard shooting sticks and took about a 55 yard shot. I rushed and I missed!!. He did not know where the shot came from and went after the doe and actually parralled me and ran in arc toward her. I stood up. Reloaded and braced against the tree. I had another 70 yard quartering away shot as he came to stop. I couldn't believe I was that blessed for him to stop. I was braced against the tree and touched it off. I saw his tail down as he ran off. I sat for a while then went to look for signs of a hit. I was starting to think I missed. But then I saw some blood and he was dead behind a blow down only 30 yards past that. On field dressing his heart was destroyed.
The load I was using was a Sierra 240 JHC sitting on 19.3 grains 2400 in a Hornady case and Win primer. This load usually shoots into a 1.5 inch group at 50 meters all day long and many times better than that. I was happy.

Congrats! Some days, it all just comes together. Got a picture?

Wonderful! Glad to see you back in the swing of things.

Congratulations!

Great feeling ain't it! Well done.

WTG, congrat"s

Excellent - just curious which method (handgun or muzzle loader) do you find more satisfying now that you have a recent handgun kill?

Congrats on your success!
Steve

Congrats!

Congratulations!!!!

Congratulations. Show us a photo!

Congrats. Well done

We don't always get second chances,You held it together and made good use of yours .WAY TO GO!!!! Welcome back to the world of handguns.What kind of Muzzleooaders do you shoot? I'm partial to Flintlocks but love them all.

Thats tough. This was exciting because I hadn't done it in so long. But killing a deer with a good shot with a patch round ball from a open sighted muzzleloader is satisfying. But my eyes are going and I've had to use scoped inlines more. And they are pretty deadly out to 125 -150 yards. Not nearly the challenge as a handgun. I was getting bored with inlines but my range with open sights was really getting shorter. Plus my traditional guns are just plain HEAVY.
Actually nothing thrills me more than bow hunting. Its in the middle of the rut and the bucks are close. Never fails to get my blood pumping. But this handgun kill has injected some new life into my gun hunting. Not being able to see open sights that great any more I opted for a scoped handgun. I have a 2X Leupold on the G2. Its enough magnification for me and very forgiving for eye relief. I think its about perfect for the 44mag. I had the same scope on my old contender in .357 maximum so I went back to it.

I also wanted to add while cutting up the deer I discovered I hit the deer with both shots. The first shot was a facing slightly quartering shot. The bullet hit him in the brisket but not centered and traveled lengthwise and struck his back hindquarter and broke it. I didn't see it until i skinned him. The Sierra 240 JHC was pulverized into little pieces ,but so was the bone. No wonder he stopped his leg was broke. I can't believe he ran like that. But the bullet wasn't centered in the cavity. It stayed to one side. When gutting him the inside was a mass of hemorrhage. The second shot he was quartered away. The bullet entered behind the right shoulder went through. I found the bullet under the skin of his front left leg. The jacket was lodged in the inside of that same leg . It came apart as soon as it exited the body cavity. The lead portion that made it all the way through weighed 154 grains and the remains of the jacket weighed about 30 grains. The bullet performed but I would have liked it to stay with the jacket. A lot to ask of the bullet. The last time I chronoed that load I think I was getting about 1475 fps out of the 12 In G2. Cant remember gotta find my notes. That might be too much for that bullet. What do you think? Anyone else use that bullet?
And thanks for all the congrats. Ill try to get pictures up but I am a moron and I only have a poor quality picture of it hanging in my garage. Ill try.

Congratulations on the handgun buck. It only gets better.
Any photos?
I just picked up a Contender 14" 44 Mag and spent some today loading for it. I'm going to use the Hornady 240grn XTP with H110, Federal brass and WLP primers. I put a medium crimp on this bullet right at the cannalure.
I have loaded this same load for my friend to use in his Encore it and shoots great.
I also put a Bushnell Elite 2x6 scope I had setting around on the barrel. After doing some site in shots I might try the Red Dot I have on this barrel. Will only be used in some woods I hunt with my longbow-close quarters and a heavy canopy so there is not a lot of light until all of the leaves fall.
Mike

congrats!,...I love bowhunting as well but my favorite method for taking whitetails as well as any other critter has always been handguns.

Welcome back to the fold!

Anybody else use that Sierra 240 JHC for whitetails?

Congratulations!!! If you like both muzzle loader and handgun hunting you can now combine the two. CVA makes a muzzle loading pistol that will take up to 100 grs of black power. It is legal here in North Carolina. It is the Optima V2. I have bought one and plan to use it next year during the muzzle loading season.

Congrats. Nicely done

I bagged an antlerless deer a couple months ago with my new CVA Optima muzzleloading pistol in the PA early muzzleloading (antlerless) season. Its a great gun and is very affordable. Ballistic equivalent to a 44 Magnum. Perhaps the ideal gun for your liking. There are a few photos on the bragging board.