I was thinking about this, for big game, and did a quick Google search. Surprisingly, I did not find what I was looking for. I'd be interested to know what everyone thought, as well as to know what the real numbers are. Here, is my best guess, and I have no idea yet, how it stacks up to actual sales.

1. 44 magnum
2. 454 Casull
3. 500 magnum
4. 357 magnum
5. 500 linebaugh
6. 480 Ruger
7. 475 linebaugh
8. 45 Colt
9. 460 S&W
10.maybe the 41 magnum? I doubt it, but don't really know of anything else that be used more, in a handgun cartridge.

44 mag. but lets not forget the jdj line,( if ya think those single shots are handguns not hand rifles ha ha)

What he said. I think the 375 JDJ should be right in there with all the game it's killed.

I think the .480 and .475 are a bit redundant. The .375 JDJ has taken a boatload of game, and it is meant for "handguns," but that also depends on how you define handgun. There is no denying anything JD Jones has done.......

I would think that .22lr rim fire would make the "list".

Here is MY list.

1. 454 Casull
2. 44 Mag
3. 45 Colt
4. 44 Special
5. 41 Mag
6. 22 LR
7 22 Mag
8. 357 Mag
9. 475 Linebaugh (only added because I used one time, borrowed gun...GREAT cartridge though)
10. 38 Special

I was listing those that I have hunted with, and was kinda' surprised I came up with ten.

45 l/c
357 mag
375 win
30-30 ack
41 mag
357 max
22 mag
44 mag
475 linebaugh
38 special

this would be my order.

1)44 mag
2)45 colt
3)454 casull
4)475 linebaugh/480
5)500 smith
6)41 mag
8)10mm
9)22LR

I'll stick with revolvers only, but don't think I need 10 in the list!
480 Ruger (475 Linebaugh if you prefer)
45 Colt
44 mag
41 mag
22lr

I guess in my mind there only needs to be a top 5. Everything else is just filling space that's not really there!

Just my personal hunble opinion of course!

If we are talking true handgun cartridges and not hand rifles,;
44 mag
454 casull
357 mag.
460 mag.
500 mag.
41 mag.
475 Linebaugh
480 Ruger
22 mag.
17 Hornady mag.

So if you don't think a TC Encore, Contender or Remington XP is a handgun, you should ask the ATF!!

Maybe they'll clear up the answer...for me the 375JDJ has to be there!!

TOP 10
1)45-70
2)44Mag
3)45LC
4)30-30
5)357Mag
6)22
7)16" 209-50
8)45 Old Army
9-10 I Just cant Get There
The Only thing REALLLLLLY Missing is Long Range Stuff.

Mike S

Personally I don't dispute that they are handguns, I just haven,t shot them in a while & hey aren't in my current area of interest,so I didn't address them.
No doubt the 375 JDJ is a winner.

For me in the Encores I had
450 Marlin
35 Welen improved
308
7mm-08
Toss in 22lr

There my single shot do all top 5

Thats a good short list.

This is not my hunting list, ... just my quess as too the most common Big Game hunting handgun Top 10:

1. 44 Mag
2. 454 Casull
3. 45 Colt
4. 30-30 Win.
5. 7x30 Waters
6. 357 Mag
7. 375 JDJ
8. 41 Mag
9. 45-70
10. 475 Linbaugh

Vance is right. I like your list Vance, but I would put the 500 mag at the top of favorite cartridges, if we are going to put it that way.

With that said, for me, the first four could all interchange.

1. 500 mag
2. 45 Colt
3. 44 mag
4. 41 mag
5. 22lr

I guess my list depends on what the parameters are... prior to ole JD- was Steve Herrett and Bob Milek contribution- 30 Herrett and 357 Herrett- The early powerhouse chamberings from thompson center included 35 remington and 30-30 win and then the tcu family 7, 6.5 and 6 as well as the early xp in 250 savage, 7mmIHMSa and 308 and my dream boomer 350 Rem Mag- these were the cartridges that really became the eye openers for the potential of the long range hand cannons.

I will go with-

45 Long Colt
45 ACP
44Mag
357 Mag
38 SPL
22LR
22Mag
NON Wheel gun
356 Win
308 win
223 rem

If I had to pick one 45 LC
two-- 45 LC & 22 Mag

My top seven revolver cartridges:

- .500 JRH
- .500 Linebaugh
- .475 Linebaugh
- .45 Colt
- .44 Magnum
- .41 Magnum
- .22 LR

In my past experiance dead deer good bullet
h-gun
357/158gr-2 dead
44/240gr-2 dead--180gr-5 dead--220gr-1 dead
35rem/tc-150gr 1 dead

my list would be as follows; .454 Casull,.357 magnum,.500 S & W magnum,.44 magnum,these are my favorites as far as deer hunting.

Wow,I am enlightened, and amazed at one thing. That is the low showing for the 500 magnum. I see that most here, are real hunters, and are posting and relating to real world experience. My vote for the 500 was because I hunted with it last year, a good bit. Only one other person mentioned it. Has it become an internet commando/hunter round? I, like everyone else here who will admit it, know that the 44 mag will kill any deer, but we all gravitate towards some bigger and more powerful round, it seems. I guess that the 500 is not being used so much in the real world, as it is, at the range.

Not sure about your conclusion, but here is a story you may like:

http://www.handgunhunt.com/promo/membership/features/readNewArticle.php?oid=28&title=.500 Muley Buck

Probably most do not feel like giving their opinion/guess! This would take some real research to be accurate. Plus the revolver vs. single shot equation. MHO

I'm sure the price of ammo has alot to do with how popular a given caliber becomes.

Price of ammo? You mean to say that not everyone reloads? LOL!

And what do you mean by "ex-Marine?" I've been out more than twenty years and I'm still a Marine!

I like your list. I think the 454 is the most maligned big bore there is. With the right bullet it will take anything the 500 S&W mag will, and the ammo costs much less. That's why I own a SRH in this caliber.

I stand corrected. Once a Marine, always a Marine. Semper Fi bro!

Semper Fi back at ya and welcome to the forum!

Yaa Haa Marines!

This is just a general list. Sense the question was for “hunting handguns,” I was trying to think of both singe shots and revolvers.


454
44 Mag and Sp
45 LC
357 Mag and Sp

500 S&W

375 JDJ
7-30 Waters
223 Rem
22 LR
30-30 of some type form or fashion

hey Bullelk Hunter id just as soon stay away from that crowd if its all the same. The most boring HANDGUN that ive ever shot was a 357 contender with an aim point. put the red dot on the steel chicken, chicken falls down, reload, ect, ect,ect, now 30-30 ack.imp. hmmmm.

was that a 357mag, max or herrett- the ggreatest thing about this sport is the diversity of choices 35 years ago I started out trying to find the best gun-cartridge combination-
I have 35 of them now, and just have to whittle it down to -ten??

Good point HoggHunter!

I was trying to pick 10 current rounds. Otherwise I would have really considered the Super Mags and the Herrett’s.

I also have to consider that the most popular “hunting rounds” for the general public are going to be factory chamberings with ammo that you can buy off the shelf. I think that is one reason so many people own a 44 Mag and 454. I also think that is one of the main reasons the 7-30 Waters is so popular. Without factory ammo it would have passed into the archives just like so many other great calibers that have been factory chamberings in the TC’s

Exactly! Why the limitations?! There's a lot of overlap anyhow. Variety and choices are what make this endeavor fun.

The original question addressed the "top ten handgun hunting cartridges." I presumed that this was intended to mean "most popular" or "most used" today. I did not interpret it to mean "my favorites." Assuming that my original presumption was correct, my guess at them would be:

44 mag
454
357 mag
41 mag &
45 Colt for revolvers

30-30
7-30 Waters
35 Remington
223 &
45-70 for contenders and similar.

With the advent of the encore frame the field is now wide open and I have no quess.

Now, currently my top ten might be:

454
44 mag
41 mag
6.5 JDJ
375 JDJ
338 Federal or 338 JDJ #2
260 Rem or 6.5x55 AI
7-08
309 JDJ
300 Savage and not necessarily in that order every time.

Same here wtroper...

22 LR
222 Remington
25-20 Winchester
30 Reece
7-30 Waters
30-30 AI
357 Maximum
357 Herrett
35 Remington
350 Remington Magnum - most versatile cast bullet cartridge I have ever owned.

Can you tell I am bias to 35 Caliber cartridges

whitworth, curious as to that jrh being ahead of the 500 linebaugh. i figured that 535 gr load would keep the linebaugh ahead, is this temporary or is there some reason the jrh has taken over as your fav.

flingwinger--454 only maligned on forums too much. if ya reload it's prolly the most versatile in a regular sized pistol. almost 100% of the guys i hunt with use it most for those reasons.

More bullets available and it is the most accurate revolver I have ever wrapped my hands around.

good reasons, what's the heaviest bullet you used in it?

I use a 440 grain truncated cone hardcast. This is the bullet that we got a 1/4-inch 3-shot group at 50 yards with (I wasn't on the trigger for that group).