Best revolver for deer hunting?
 

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.

Revolver
 

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.

[quote=Ashman;1275363]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.
[/quote]


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

.357 VS. .44 Mag
 

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.

[quote=TrollerMan;1275319]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[/quote]

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.