Just wanted to say hello. I've been a hunter for many years with my passion being mostly for whitetail. I've hunted all my life with rifles, muzzleloader and archery but I've been interested in handgun hunting for a while so earlier this year I bought my first hunting handgun. S&W 460XVR and topped it with a Leupold 2.5X8X32. I've been practicing with it this summer and I'm looking forward to hunting with it this season. I wanted to join to pick up tips and get advise from you guys that are experienced in handgun hunting. From what I'm told and what I've read a lot of people that start handgun hunting get hooked and seldom get their rifles out of the safe.

Welcome to HHM. You have plenty of gun, get in as much trigger time as possible and leave the long one at home. Confidence is everything. There are quite a few members here that hunt with the 460. Good luck and good hunting.

Welcome aboard. You will find all the information you will need on your handgun hunting journey on this site. The guys here are very helpful. If these guys do not know what you need to know I do not know where you are going to find it.

Welcome to the site and welcome to handgun hunting! It is true that once hooked it is difficult going back to the "easy" way of doing things.

Welcome to HHM, lots of good people here, and a wealth of information.

Welcome home! That 460 XVR was my first hunting handgun as well. At the time, my thinking was, "Cool! It can shoot three different bullets, so it's the only gun I'll ever need!!!" Yeah..... that theory lasted about 4 months. Soon had more revolvers than socks.......

Don't be afraid to use the search function on here. Lot of good stuff!!

Welcome. Handgun hunting is worse than addicting. It's a way of life for the diehards. I started at age 9. By 1978 I gave up those ugly rifles 100%. Now I live and breath handguns from squirrels to elephants.

Welcome to HHM, my fellow Tennessean! Like you, I also started out with a Model 460 in almost the exact same configuration (I had a Nikon variable instead of a Leupold).

You'll find plenty of information about almost every aspect of handgun hunting and shooting here. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Welcome! I too am a new guy. Picked up a new Bisley Hunter in 44 mag. I shoot as much as I can and do a lot of dry fire exercise. I normally hunt with longbows and recurves, so I know how to set up for close shots.

Welcome fellow Tennessean! Long time handgun hunter here. This is the best bunch of guys you will meet anywhere on the net or in person. Invaluable source of info here as others have said. At least someone here hunts with every handgun known to man. I personally hunt with a bunch of revolvers from .40 Auto to 30-06 Encore to revolvers from .41 mag to .480 ruger and a bunch in between. Scoped and open sights and you name it. I am in Lincoln Co. Which county do you hail from?

Thanks guys! I look forward to learning as much as possible here and getting started in this world of handgun hunting. I've been practicing as much as I can and dry firing on snap caps even more. One thing I've determined is that this pistol is limited only by my capabilities. I have it zeroed at 100 yards but I don't plan on taking any shots over 60yds. I know what you mean about it being addicting, I already wish I had a .22 handgun for squirrel hunting, maybe next year.

Reflex264 I live in Rutherford county

Good luck this deer season. Your going to love it!

Welcome to the site! About the only advice I would add is once you're sighted in and find an accurate load for your gun stop shooting from the bench. Its easy to build up confidence shooting from a bench and then be humbled shooting from field positions. Those are the shots that really count. Gary did a good article a few years back titled Field Shooting Positions That Work. Its in the Members Articles under Getting Started. I don't think I'd try the Creedmore position with a 460. Good luck with your hunt and have fun!

Rutherford county reflex264

welcome!

What rifles??? Don't use that "R" word too loosely 'round these parts.

Welcome to HH! There's a few folks around here that's killed a couple critters with a handgun. You should be able to scratch up a little advice.

The next advise is: to be a successful handgun hunter, you must hunt with a handgun; leave them long ugly things wvhitman was referring to at the house.

Do they still make rrr-word ??

With all the hunting experience you have under your belt I know you will do just fine with your 460 and whitetail.... You sound like a very "in control" shooter and you might want to dry fire at magazine photos, tapped to the wall, of deer in different positions with your scope on 2x. If there is anything I can help you with just ask. Good luck and good huntin.....

Get one. No, seriously, go out and buy one sometime soon and get it sighted in. There's plenty of time to do all that and hunt squirrels before deer season. Prior to last season, if you suggested I go squirrel hunting, I'd decline and say that squirrel hunting is no fun. Up till then, I had only ever used a shotgun. Last year though, I borrowed a Ruger Mark II with a Leupold 4x pistol scope and went after some squirrels. I enjoyed handgun hunting them so much that now I consider handgunning squirrels my second favorite type of hunting, after handgun hunting for deer of course.