Looking to buy a handgun for hunting got a few questions?

Question

ok i just moved to northwest florida and im looking into buying a handgun to hunt deer and hogs... what make/caliber and how much should i expect to pay???

Answer 1

For backup while hunting nearly any handgun will do.  For handgun hunting the minimum caliber is the .357 Magnum preferably with the 6" barrel.  In auto-loaders your best choices are the Desert Eagle .44 Mag. or .50 AE, or the Glock Model 20 10mm.  Forget the .45 acp and definitely forget the 9mm for a primary hunting weapon.  

If all I had to hunt with was a handgun, then mine would be a .44 Magnum or better yet, a .454 Casull revolver.  This being especially true if I were hunting in bear country.  

Good luck.

H

Answer 2

Handguns are for  K I L L I N G     P E O P L E.

I live in northern Canada where I see deer very often

and I  KNOW  that if you want to bring down game as

big as a deer then you had better get a LONG  GUN.

Deer are keenly observant and it is almost a joke to imagine that the deer is just going to sit there and let you get close enough to be within pistol range. (They have sharp eyesight and a great sense of smell.)

Cant say that I have ever SHOT a hog.   Contact a pig farmer.

Answer 3

Look around your local gun shops for a used Ruger Blackhawk in .44 Magnum.  You should be able to get one for between $300 and $400.  A decent set of rings and a scope will set you back another $100 at least.  Then you need some decent quality hunting ammo, at roughly $30 per 20.  Don't forget to pick up a nice cross-draw shoulder rig for the gun so you don't have to lug it around.  Maybe another $55-70.

Answer 4

A Smith & Wesson Revolver with a 6 inch barrel loaded with Winchester 180 grain Partition Gold ammo for hogs & Deer in 357 Magnum caliber.* For prices and different Models go to the Smith & Wesson Firearms site.*

Answer 5

I really like encore handguns . you can get almost any cal. you can imagine ,but the best for hogs and deer is .243 , .44 mag. or maybe 7mm-08 . I also like the ruger super blackhawk revolver in .44 mag. good luck friend I hope you enjoy handgun hunting , it's a fun challenge.

Answer 6

Look into a Thompson Contender in either a .270 WSM or a .308 WIN.  The nice thing is, is the Contender is a great pistol that has interchangeable barrels so you can get more than one caliber if you like (simply buy a new barrel in the caliber you want and it attaches to the existing frame), and you can put a stock on the back of it to make it a small rifle if you want.  They are extremely accurate, but the only downside is they are a single shot.  But, well placed, a single shot is all you need.

Answer 7

I've been handgun hunting for over 25 years. I ended up with a Ruger Redhawk, 44 Rem Mag 7 1/2" barrel. I have taken numerous Feral Hogs and about ten Whitetail Deer. For a very good used Redhawk around $475, new; around $600.

Reloading helps make it affordable. There is no rule that says because it is a magnum it must be loaded as hot as possible. I load magnum charges but well below maximum. My brass lasts for many more loadings. I prefer 240 grain IMI JHP and 2400 powder.

Answer 8

You would be hard pressed to find a more dedicated advocate of the .357 Magnum revolver than I am.  But when it comes to big wild hogs, you need something with more power, and a larger diameter.

IMO, you need something .41 Magnum or larger.  My preference for hogs would be a .44 RemMag.  I'd go with a Ruger Super Blackhawk with a 5.5" barrel.  In all probability your shots will be close, and some will be close, dirty, and scary, you don't need a long barrel or a scope for that kind of shooting.

If you handload, or don't mind paying the prices for hunting ammo from Buffalo Bore or Cor-Bon, you can use a Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Long Colt.  Just do try hog hunting with Cowboy Action Shooter loads.  Use the modern +P .45 Colt loadings.

Prices vary so widely and are climbing so fast, I'd hesitate to guess the price you'd pay in the Panhandle.  I'm reasonably sure you can get a good used Super Blackhawk in the $300 -350.00 range and possibly less.  A new gun is going to set you back $400 - 600.00 depending on what you get and where you buy it.

My friends tell me that hog hunting in Northwest Florida is really good these days.  In fact, one fellow  know has taken up hunting them with a spear.  He uses a Cold Steel Boar Speer.  Personally, I'd rather keep a bit more distance between my hide and a hog's chompers.

Good Shooting, and Good Hunting,

Doc

Answer 9

a great caliber is a 44 magnum mod 629 SW 8 inch barrel which is great for those mid range deer but if you want a perfect hog gun go with the 454 casull because hogs are typiccally bigger than deer are harder to kill and are thicker and have tough skin so a 454 is a better choice but if you are sticking with a one pistol battery a 44 mag is great because you can buy light ammo for deer and heavy ammo for hogs