Pistol for Deer

[jake1]

Hello I would like to get a pistol to hunt deer in Iowa. What caliber would be the best ? This would be my first center fire pistol. Kind of like the contender or ruger blackhawk.

 

[cayuga]

I used a Ruger Redhawk in .44 mag to hunt deer. That caliber worked better then my .357 magnum on deer. I never shot long range at deer with the revolver, but out to 50 yards I would not hesitate to shoot. The last deer I shot with the .44 magnum ran about thirty yards before dropping. Nice large hole with that 240 grain flat point bullet.

 

[GM54-120]

I agree a RedHawk is hard to beat for a hunting revolver. They are not small but they are tough and eat up a lot of recoil. IIRC scope mounting is also pretty well thought out on them too. The BlackHawk or the SuperblackHawk will do ok too and are a little lighter.

If i was going scope less i would definitely look at the BlackHawks or Supers too. Ive done the T/C Contender thing and its ok also if want want to swap barrels. In a Contender though i would look at other calibers than the 44mag for longer ranges.

 

[Omega45]

Here is what a friend of mine did. He bought a .44 mag TC Encore pistol. He then ordered a Pro Hunter stock and muzzleloader forearm and a .50 muzzleloader barrel. Now he has the .44 mag pistol and can easily make it a muzzleloader in about 5 minutes.

 

[paia]

Hello I would like to get a pistol to hunt deer in Iowa. What caliber would be the best ? This would be my first center fire pistol. Kind of like the contender or ruger blackhawk.

As I am sure you know, Iowa has caliber restrictions for handguns--basically they have to be straight walled cases. "Hand rifles" like a Contender in .308 are not legal.

Given that, I'd go with a .44 mag revolver and I love the single action Rugers. Have fun shopping.

 

[Brute]

Scoped contender in 357 maximum is a good outfit out to 200 yds + or -.45-70 is another good round in a contender but, recoil is a bit obnoxous.

 

[Banerbird]

I hunt with a S&W 41 mag (8" barrel) w/ iron sights. I wouldn't hesitate to 75 yds with it. With a scope, I'd go 100yds. With the sights, I can keep a 3" group @ 50 yds. A few years ago, I took a 200lb deer @ 60 yds with the 41 and it dropped right there. It was a quartering to shot and I put the sight on the front edge of his shoulder. A friend of mine took a big doe with his 41mag (S&W w/ a 4" barrel) @ 40 yds. She took 3 steps and fell over. Full broadside center ribs.

My Dad has the S&W 41mag 8" barrel, but is topped with a Red Dot. At 100yds (on paper) he shoots a 3 inch group or less. He also has a 44mag in the Contender w/ an 8" barrel. I picked it up for him and sighted it in (topped with a Red Dot). I used 2 different factory ammo. Hornady 240gr XTP and Speer Gold Dot 240gr. Both shot cloverleaf 3 shot groups at 50 yds. At 100yds, the Hornady shot a 5 inch group and the Speer shot a 2 inch group.

 

[GM54-120]

Brute

I REALLY liked my 357MAX barrel too for the Contender. Recoil was reasonable and it would shoot a 180gr bullet in the 1800fps range IIRC with cautious load development. I did have a few failed primers so its a bit tricky.

Use the Hornady Single Shot pistol bullet and you have a 200yard "hand rifle"

30/30 or 35Rem are also good ones for the Contender and they will usually out shoot any lever gun in the same caliber if you dont mind a 14" barrel and handloading

 

[Brute]

30-30 ,35rem. are both fine deer rounds in a contender as are the 7-30 Waters and my favorite the 7 TCU. Unfortunately none of the above qualify because they are bottle-necked. Arcane regs ?!!

 

[aintright]

I had a contender in 7-30 waters , it was a very accurate handgun . With handloads on a bench , 1 inch or less was not uncommon at all with the 120 grain Hornady spire point . I was digging through some of my old stuff today and found I still have handloads and factory ammo for it . One of the many guns I probally should have kept . Another really great deer pistol is the Remington XP-100 , had one in 7-08 , it was a shooter too and better balanced . I've had the Redhawk and it is indeed a handsome gun , but with the added length of the cylinder and frame , you can carry a little more barrel and range for the same length package , especially the XP-100 . Kenneth

 

[bailebr3]

i dont know how the terrain is in iowa but for woods hunting out to 50-60yrds. i absolutely love the .357!! alot of guys think its too small but i beg to differ....i have killed deer and hogs with my Ruger GP100, using both factory 158gr. jsp loads and 180gr. handloads. i just choose my shots carefully and the animal falls with one shot.

opening day 2012

and 2011 opening day

 

[71ragtop]

Hello I'm new to the forum so I guess I'll throw my opinion out there. Here is the pistol I chose for Deer hunting. 500 S&W Performance center 2x7 Luepold slammer