# pistol hunting



## sam kegg (Jun 23, 2007)

just picked up on a trade a rugar super blackhawk 44mag with a 7 inch barrel nice gun maybe the only thing i would use it for not sure if i will even keep it but anyone here ever hunt with one? and how did you like the pistol over a shotgun? yays or nays?


----------



## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

sam kegg said:


> just picked up on a trade a rugar super blackhawk 44mag with a 7 inch barrel nice gun maybe the only thing i would use it for not sure if i will even keep it but anyone here ever hunt with one? and how did you like the pistol over a shotgun? yays or nays?


I have a Ruger GP100 in a .357. I have missed deer with it one thing I will say is that they take allot of practice to hunt with. I do carry it as a sidearm when bear hunting in PA.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Ohub Campfire mobile app


----------



## Header (Apr 14, 2004)

I have a Interarms Virginia Dragoon 44mag 8 3/8 barrel much similar to your Black Hawk. I have a 2x scope mounted and have taken several deer over the years, and ground hogs. I have taken more w/o the scope than with, I only mounted the scope a couple years ago. I like using it much easier to carry than the shotgun or muzzleloader and you can still load 6 shots unlike the shotgun.


----------



## ironman172 (Apr 12, 2009)

I have several I was going to use, but find myself still taking out the shotgun, out to 100yrds deer don't leave the area, and a whole lot more confidence with the shot gun to still hunt to the stand .....once in the stand I could see the pistol working but I just never seem to stay to long there and want to get something moving whether for me or buddies hunting....I hope to kill with it sometime though....it is very heavy and a little bigger then the 44mag.... a shooting house type hand gun for deer hunting
I hope in the coming seasons they legalize the bullet and not the weapon(hand gun) so I could use the carbine rifles I have.... that match the handgun rounds


----------



## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

sam kegg said:


> just picked up on a trade a *rugar super blackhawk 44mag *with a 7 inch barrel nice gun maybe the only thing i would use it for not sure if i will even keep it but anyone here ever hunt with one? and how did you like the pistol over a shotgun? yays or nays?


That's all my hunting partner uses during gun season any more. He's killed 5 or 6 bucks plus some does. It kills em just as dead as anything else. He keeps his shots in close.


----------



## Flathead76 (May 2, 2010)

I have a ruger super redhawk 7.5" barrel with a 2x fixed leupold scope on top. Bought this set up when I got bored with shotgun hunting. The key to shooting this well for deer is properly knowing how to dress and a good rest. If you are cold and shaking you will not shoot it well. Anything more than a 2x scope on top you can see your heart beat. The gun will shoot a 3" group at 100 meters. Thats after some good trigger work that is. My favorite bullet hands down is a 240 grain pure lead bullet with a flat nose. It knocks deer flat on thier ass. One time I did have one make a single jump then fall on its ass. I have shot deer with muzzleloaders and shotguns and they always seam to run 50 yards then die. Not the case here. They die where you shoot them. With a holester its awesome walking into the woods with a climbing treestand on your back......hands free. You should have fun with this one.


----------



## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

I have a S&W 629 SS classic with a bushnell elite 3200 2x6 power. ive hunted with it several times but the shots always seem too far to be good shots. I don't like the scope in the woods, just seems like im too shakey shooting off hand, a few years ago I was hunting public land and I heard a bunch of shots. in about 10 minutes I saw a doe limping with her front right leg broken at the knee and hanging by skin, she was about 100 yards away, I wouldn't of thought twice about taking that shot with the shotgun or muzzleloader, but even in a tree stand and a shooting rail, I didn't feel I had a very good shot with the pistol and waited to see if she'd come closer because she was heading away from the shots. she didn't and limped out of sight. that's actually the last time that pistol has ever been in the woods. at the range, on a sandbags, i can hit an apple at 70 yards. I wont ever hunt public land again with a pistol, private property, maybe.


----------



## BanksideBandit (Jan 22, 2010)

Buddy tried it out last year. Couldn't get confident enough at the range in order to take it to the woods. Definitely going to need a lot of practice.


----------



## Mr. A (Apr 23, 2012)

I deer hunt worth a .44mag Taurus Raging Bull, 8.75" barrel. I love the gun , but will admit that holding 63oz steady at arms length is not very easy at times. Mobility is awesome though. I use the gun if I'm in thick stuff or have to move while I'm hunting (like walking gas lines).

Mr. A

Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Ohub Campfire mobile app


----------



## noodle8177 (Sep 24, 2007)

My dad used to hunt with the same gun you have. He had a scope mounted on it and all his hunting was sitting. He had shooting sticks and saw him shoot many deer over 150 yards and they dropped in there tracks. He shot his daily though and knew how the gun would shoot at that range. He shot a 240 hornady jhp. I can't hit the ground with the thing so now that he is gone its a safe queen now. Good luck if you decide to use it. Will have plenty of knock down for a whitetail. Also same size bullet I shoot out of my 50 cal muzzleloader. 


Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


----------



## F1504X4 (Mar 23, 2008)

Mr. A said:


> I deer hunt worth a .44mag Taurus Raging Bull, 8.75" barrel. I love the gun , but will admit that holding 63oz steady at arms length is not very easy at times. Mobility is awesome though. I use the gun if I'm in thick stuff or have to move while I'm hunting (like walking gas lines).
> 
> Mr. A
> 
> Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Ohub Campfire mobile app


I have the same gun and agree 100%. 


Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


----------



## ironman172 (Apr 12, 2009)

F1504X4 said:


> I have the same gun and agree 100%.
> 
> 
> Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


me 3....only in 480 ruger .....shooting house only for me with it....sitting with a good rest 

.


----------



## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

I am surprised at a couple of the responses here.

You certainly can kill a deer with a handgun, no doubt, easy to do but some seem to imply that a handgun somehow has more energy than a muzzleloader or shotgun, that is a huge stretch. A deer does not know what gun the bullet came from when it is shot. It just gets the resulting effect of energy and bullet design. 

44 mag, 7.5" barrel depending on how it is loaded will be between 1200 - 1400 FPS with a 240 gr. bullet. Even the slowest, low powder charge, MZ's exceed that by a pretty wide margin.

A handgun is a great hunting weapon with limitations on range and retained energy. If you stay within the boundaries and you can actually hit something with it, it will get the job done, no doubt


----------



## Flathead76 (May 2, 2010)

I never implied that a .44 has more power. I have killed probably 12-15 deer with one. They never have run. They all fell over right where they were standing when I shot them. Now on the flip side i have probably taken double that with muzzleloaders and shotguns. They always run 50 yards or so before falling over. Why....I have zero clue. They all basically shoot the same style of bullet and the .44 is the slowest of all of them. My only only guess is that out of the pistol I shot a 240 grain pure lead bullet with a flat nose. The bullet always got great expansion. I have noticed that some of the shotgun and muzzleloader rounds really do not expand that well. Some of them have separated into several pieces when recovered.


----------



## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

A shotgun slug starts larger in diameter than the piston bullet would expand to. It's nothing more than bullet placement.


----------



## Jigging Jim (Apr 3, 2010)

Keep it and use it. It's a quality gun and .44 Mag is a practical handgun hunting cartridge. Powerful enough to get the job done - without beating your body up from recoil. Being able to shoot the less expensive .44 Specials in it for practice is a nice bonus.


----------

