I hunt with a rifle, so this is totally academic for me, but I'd choose a DA revolver in .44 Magnum. I like the good trigger on a quality DA revolver, and .44 Magnum is amply powerful for quick, humane kills without recoiling terribly hard.

Specifically, I'd take a Smith 29 or 629 with 6" barrel.

I vote for the .44mag as all I ever hunted was deer and hogs. I have the M-29 Smith and that's all I should ever need.

Gotta go with the learned flow. A S&W 629w/2x Leupold is a deadly combination - take my word for it. There's a few deer, javelina, and a lot of feral hogs that will attest to that, if they could.....

PhilR.

Ruger Super Blackhawk or Redhawk in 44 Mag.

I've hunted javelina with .45 Auto, but they only weigh 40-50 pounds. Some deer weigh only 100-150 pounds, so I suppose if I think a .45 ACP is adequate to protect myself against a 250-pound human, then it should be adequate for a 100-150 pound deer.

Still, to hunt anything larger than javelina with a handgun, I'd probably carry my Model 29.

I'll add one more vote for the 44. Either a Ruger or S&W revolver will serve you well for hunting whitetails.

Shots out to 30-40 yards? 44 Mag
Shots out to 100 yards? X-Frame 460 Mag S&W w/ 10-13" barrel

the choices in the poll did not include the S&W 460 and 500 Mag.
Was this an oversight?
Question for those that know more than me.....
Would these be good for the animals mentioned or are they tooo much?
What animals would the 460 and 500 mags be good for, other than grizzley bears.

Originally Posted by hideit

the choices in the poll did not include the S&W 460 and 500 Mag.
Was this an oversight?
Question for those that know more than me.....
Would these be good for the animals mentioned or are they tooo much?
What animals would the 460 and 500 mags be good for, other than grizzley bears.

The poll asked about hunting deer or similar animals. Obviously, the .460 and .500 will put down a deer with authority, but that power level (and the resultant recoil) hardly seems required for a thin-skinned, relatively light-constructed animal. .44 Mags have been bagging deer for decades now. I think the .460/.500 would come into their own for hunting bigger animals like elk, moose and brown bear.

If you want to shoot deer at longer ranges, then something like the .460 might be good for 100 yard shots. But I think long-range shots remove most of the rationale for handgun hunting in the first place: the challenge of getting close to the game. Anyway, very bloody few people can shoot handguns well enough to make 100 yard humane killing hits on deer from field positions.