Greetings WCrs! My son and I are looking for a revolver that is legal for Minnesota deer hunting and very much appreciate your ideas and recommendations.

So far we are considering a .44 Magnum, a .40 or a .45 each with a 6 to 7 1/2" barrel, ideally with scope rings or mounting holes tapped.
Heard good things about Smith and Wesson, Ruger, etc.

What do you think?
Thanks in advance!

TrollerMan and son
Waconai MN USA

This is something I've been thinking about as well, however I have it narrowed down to a Ruger Super Redhawk 7 1/2" barrel in a .44 magnum.

Now I just need to find a good used one and have the spare cash at the same time.

Check out your local hunting regs (I'm sure you already have). Here in Kansas you must shoot a cartridge that is at least 1.280 inches in length. This covers anything .357 cal. or bigger. You mentioned .40 cal. Did you mean .41? The .40 S&W is a semi-auto round and would be too short here. I also hunt in Colorado and they require you to use a round with a rated impact energy of at least 550 ft. pounds at 50 yds. as determined by the manufacturer (basically any magnum round qualifies).
The S&W model 629 fits the bill nicely but it's very pricey. All of the Ruger Red and Blackhawks will do well also. Good luck - Stu

How do you shoot your deer? Do you shoot them in the shoulder? If so, you need a bullet that will break bone and keep penetrating. Are you like me, and try to shoot them behind the shoulder? Then an expanding bullet is called for.
The first deer I shot with my Super Blackhawk ran for 1/4 mile. I used a 240 grain bullet and hit it just behind the shoulder. 43 caliber hole in, 43 caliber hole out(44 bullets are actually .429 diameter). I've since switched to 210 grain hollow points. 43 caliber hole in, 3/4" hole or bigger out.
If you need to break a shoulder, use a heavy bullet, maybe even a cast semi-wad cutter.
Any handgun chambered for 357 Magnum or greater will work. I like handguns chambered for cartridges whose names start with a "4".
The great limitation will be your skill with a handgun and ability to either get close (like bow hunters) or sit still along a deer trail. Lots of practice is needed. When I was on a collegiate pistol team, we were handed two bricks of 22 LR each week. That's 1000 rounds/week. But that was for one-handed bullseye competition. Practice mostly with a 22 rim fire, and finish each session with your game handgun. Shoot a minimum of 100 shots/week.

.44 would be my choice, I'm partial to S&W but Rugers are nice too.

Nice thing about this caliber along with the .357 is you can shoot lower powered loads out of them for practice and cost and step up to hunting loads for in the field.

Open sights or no more than a 1.5 power scope.

What ever you decide, maybe first go shoot a few to see which brand/caliber you like.

Al

Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter. 44Mag - easy attachment of scope or rail for red dot. I've used Winchester Partition Gold (Nosler bullet) and it's a good round.

I started out with a scope but thought it was actually harder to see the deer. I think a good red dot is the best option.

The 44Mag is no big deal to shoot but is plenty big enough for any deer out there.

Just resist the temptation to shoot beyond your distance limits - it's a lot harder to hold that revolver still than it is a rifle.... a trigger job is money well spent.

I use a Ruger SuperBlackHawk .44. The frame is already ramped and railed for scopes. I only fire Federal Ammo through it, and it is very accurate out to 100 yards. It was my choice due to the "safety" factor of being a single action firearm. I usually have it as my side arm along with my .300 Savage Lever Action rifle. Since I really will only take shots out to 50 yards with the handgun, I use hollowpoints in it. Took only one deer with it, and that was at 20 yards. The deer went straight sideways, and was down and out. Very humane kill. Have a buddy who uses a .357, and he took three rounds to put one down. I also added Pacmeijer (?) rubberized grips. Really makes a difference in holding on target...especially in the rain! Good luck with whichever choice you go with. The nice thing is that should I go out West to hunt, it is an accepted caliber out there too.

This is something I've been thinking about as well, however I have it narrowed down to a Ruger Super Redhawk 7 1/2" barrel in a .44 magnum.



this is the exact gun i shoot. mount a scope easily, shoots a pretty decent group at 50 yards. .44 is kind of an expensive round to plink with.

state of south dakota allowed a .357 last time i looked to shoot deer. shell is a little cheaper, very similar guns, .44 just has a bit more knockdown

Opinions will vary. Mine is - If you shoot the .357 make sure you go with the 180 grain bullet and shoot no further than 50 yards. The .44 mag has more bullet weight as well as umph, and can be utilized at distances out to 150 yards safely. Try to get at least a 6 in barrel. Whatever you do, get so you can consistently hit a pie plate at the common distance you will find deer for your area.

Greetings WCrs! My son and I are looking for a revolver that is legal for Minnesota deer hunting and very much appreciate your ideas and recommendations.

So far we are considering a .44 Magnum, a .40 or a .45 each with a 6 to 7 1/2" barrel, ideally with scope rings or mounting holes tapped.
Heard good things about Smith and Wesson, Ruger, etc.

What do you think?
Thanks in advance!

TrollerMan and son
Waconai MN USA

I've been shooting a Taurus with an 8 3/8" barrel in .44 Mag. I home load for it. I've been able to get a 4" group at 100 yards. Good enough for a deer.

Magnum Research BFR Revolver .50 AE. No compromises.

Thanks for your input, guys! We really appreciate your thoughts! That Ruger SuperRedHawk .44 seems to come near the top of the list for a lot of hunters. Any additional ideas out there?
Thanks again, TrollerMan and Son
Waconia MN USA

how about a thompson center contender?
my dad has one of those, fun gun, lots of dif barrels you can get for them too!

I use my Ruger GP100 in 357 6" barrel. Very affordable gun. sweet to shoot. lots of practice with 38spec rounds out of it. This year Im working on 180 grn reloads for it. Always remember to shoot within your effective shooting range whether it be 20 yards or 50 yards. I personally like to sit in my archery stand. I feel a 10-40 yard shot is enough

My .02.
The S&W xvr 460 is the superstar of revolvers. The gun is capable of +200 yard accuracy, the shooter may not be though. Ammo is pretty pricy though. Next on my list would be the .44 Magnum. Ammo is still pretty pricey though but good to 100yds. And my third choice is the 357 magnum. good out to 50 yards which is the accurate limit for most shooters. the nice thing about the 357 is it is much cheaper for the ammo because you can use 38special for shooting at the range and becooming a much better shooter for less money. My fist choice would be the 357 because my assumption is that since you asked for opinions you might not have a lot of practice or knowledge and maybe you need to get used to shooting accurate with a revolver and it would not hurt your pocket book too much. If that's not the case and your already experienced and don't need to shoot alot of rounds at the range then the 44 is a better choice. If your looking to go all out and spend some money the xvr is in my opinion the all around most superior revolver round you can buy. I wish I had one but I'm only up to the point where i'm looking to move up from the 357 and get a 44. This is just my opinion. As far as ammo check out the hornady leverevolution

I had a really nice nickle or was in chrome super redhawk .44 magnum that has been used in Wisconsin on our property.

Then many years ago i fell in love with the nickle/chrome desert eagle .44 mag that has since replaced my ruger.

I am still a long rifle lover for whitetail, yet when in the stand with a nice rack within clean range, got to love that eagle ;)

how about a thompson center contender?
my dad has one of those, fun gun, lots of dif barrels you can get for them too!

I had an 8mm JDJ SSK industries chambered bbl for a contender. What a round in that gun.....2500fps with a 150gr sierra BT..444 case necked down to 8mm. Out penetrated my .06 w/150gr (2950fps) on 1 gal water jugs set in line .....8 vs 6 @ 100 yds. Absolutely awesome combination. I got it for Elk Hunting. Recoil was/is straight back with no roll or swing. Very accurate....1/2" to 3/4" @100 yds.
That is one of the guns I wished I never would have let go.