Since Va game laws big game cartridge must be 23 cal or more
444 Marlin and 6x45

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Think twice, shoot once.

Well I bought this monster last year because it was cheap and needed a firing pin, .444 Marlin. I'm here to tell you I don't need that much handgun.
That thing is brutal.

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SWHF #595

I'm not involved in Big Game Hunting, but if I was, then I would trust the assessment of Elmer Keith that a 200gr SWC bullet traveling at 1000fps was adequate for hunting anything in North America.

No sense it toting a heavy, overpowered, unwieldy handcannon which will only cause unnecessary damage to the meat/pelt.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

BG handgun ... min./max. ... Minimum would be a .357 S&W Magnum loaded with something suitably hot and heavy ... say a 140-158 gr. JSP as sold by Underwood, etc. Maximum would be a plain Jane .44 Magnum w/ 200 - 240 gr. SWC's as about 1,200 FPS or so. Just about ideal for the really big stuff. Sincerely. bruce.

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<><

Many years ago I harvested 2 deer whitetails with my trusty Ruger Blackhawk .41 magnum. I carried it on a few elk hunts but never got close enough to take the shot.

The 357, 41, and 44's are OK if you get a storybook picture shot and really place your shot well. However if I were to go after the big stuff in North America I would certainly want to be backed up by my good old 375H&H.

357 & up work for deer.
41 & up for elk and black bear.
I have no opinion on handguns for the big bears or moose. I know it has been done, but my chicken self would never attempt such a feat.
I view hand guns much as I do bows. They are short range endeavors, period. The handgun’s range exceeds that of archery equipment but not by as much as you may think.

I used to shoot a Contender in 7mm TCU and before that it's daddy in 7x45 Ingram. They were great metallic silhouette rounds using 162 and 168 gr bullets, and were "ok" in the field with 139 gr soft points.

However, I greatly preferred the 7-30 Waters and the .30-30 for hunting antelope and deer sized game with a Contender.

I'd give the 6x45 a pass for hunting.

Andy,
I love the Lone Eagle. Lemme know if ya wanna unload it.
Factory ammo has to be loaded to SAAMI specs which are designed for use in a large lever action guide gun,
If you're using that cartridge in a pistol, by all means, handload!
I use a contender with bulky furniture to add mass and have groomed a load of 22 gr. of Blue dot under a 180 gr. SJHP and it's only like a punch from Mike Tyson.
Keep shootin',
Thanks,
Jimmy

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Think twice, shoot once.

Depends on where you are. In Alaska, 44 magnum would be the minimum.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

I have a Super Redhawk in .454 Casul with a 2-6 pistol scope that handles anything I would want to hunt with a handgun.




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I have a Contender Hunter barrel in 375 Winchester. 12" including the muzzel break. At 50 yards Factory 220's will split 30 to 36 inch diameter hunks of trees into firewood. (at dusk the muzzel blast is a fireball 3 to 4 feet in diameter!)

I have a Super 14 barrel in 44mag. I had it Mag-na-ported and shoot a 300 grain Barns Original SP over a extreme amount of WW296 (Barns provided data, but it isn't their Manual!) In the mid 80's I was shooting concrete blocks at 35 to 40 yards with factory S&W 44 mag 240 SP's. Shot in the end, they would break into fist sized chunks and fly in all directions including at me. They passed over me and consistently landed 20 yards behind me! I stuck in one of my Barns loads and shot the end of the block. It sat there with a 3" hole in the close end. I walked up to see what else has happened, It vaporized the block behind the end wall and took the grass and a few inches of topsoil with it for about 24: behind the end wall!

Factory 44's were very mild recoil, but the Barns load would rock my body and pull at muscles in my lower back!

My plans had been to have the barrel reamed to 444, but never found it necessary!

At Christmas 1991, I bought the first Dessert Eagle in Central Ohio in 50AE. Lots of noise and paper energy, but to 300 to 365 grain bullets slow down too fast, and don't pernitrate as well a standard 240 44 Mags! (at distance to 150 yards) At point blank range the energy and damage are massive!

But for anything that is going to hunt me back and eat me, I wouldn't use anything less than a 45-70 guide gun with very stout 400 gr. hard cast handloads (around 2100 fps)! Although I am partial to 375 H&H in Rifles!

For a Minimum Contender, I like 22 Hornet and 221 Fireball on varmints to 200. Mine are 10" Bull barrels, I have a friend that is all and only about accuracy, He has a Super 14 in Hornet. I saw him do a 1/2 group at 200 yards with his handloads! But his velocity was around only1300- 1400 fps (my Super 14 22 LR shoots Stinger's faster than that!)

Ivan

I have always found the 6x45 or 6mm/223 rather interesting. Definitely not in the 243 Winchester league but possibly giving the .223 more umph and wind bucking ability in a pistol configuration. Bob Milek in G&A in the 80s used to write about hunting with TCs and modified XP100s. A concept which is almost nonexistent in today’s gun media. Those were the days. I don’t believe the XP100 is even available anymore. Possibly from Remington’s custom shop. Bob Milek did a lot of work researching that 6mm/223 wildcat and published some articles on the subject. I believe he might have taken an antelope with that caliber but not sure. Definitely a few rock-chucks and prairie dogs in his home state of Wyoming. Milek was also a fan of the 7-30 Waters and 30-30 in the Contender platform. He was my favorite handgun hunting writer ever.

Knights Armament made a 6x35 wildcat for their “pdw” supposedly giving it more downrange effectiveness from a short barreled AR platform in a military application. That concept was to arm a downed pilot or radioman with a small “personal defense weapon” that can reach out to 300 yards effectively against AK armed enemy personnel. The 223/556 looses effectiveness quickly out of a short barrel. The 6x35 was to be a more effective round at medium ranges. Hornady even loads some 6x35 factory ammo.

A custom XP100 in 6x45 would be very interesting indeed.

On the other end of the spectrum, I personally am going to explore a big bore I have owned for a while. I have a 50AE Deagle that has been used as a range novelty more than anything else. I just installed a taller front sight on it bringing the “poi” right where I need it. A super accurate setup, I hope to take a pig this year. A 300 grain Hornady xtp in front of a healthy dose of W296 should be enough to anchor a nice boar. We will develop a load shortly. All part of the experience.

The only thing I've shot in it is factory ammo. I really don't shoot it enough to warrant buying a set of dies. When I bought it the firing pin was broken and after a little research I found that was a common issue with the Lone Eagle so I replaced it with a titanium one.

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SWHF #595

gemigur,
Have been a TC fan for a long time. Am curious about the wood on your guns. Could you give us a little more info? Thanks for your time.

When I was in Michigan a friend hunted whitetail with his ruger revolver H&R magnum, heavily stoked with 115gr bullets.
At that time I hunted with my 45acp loaded with the Speer 200gr flying ash trays. The woods we hunted a 50 yard shot was a long shot as the woods had very few runs beyond that.

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John

I was not a pistol hunter but wore my Model 58 .41 magnum out of habit more than anything else.
I was leaning against a tree during an elk hunt and had dozed off.

Heard a snap and looked up to see a bull elk a few yards away.


I was afraid to try to recover my rifle, so I gave him a pop with the .41.
He took about 3 steps and went down. He was dead by the time I grabbed my rifle and walked over to where he lay.


I shot numerous deer and antelope that had been hit by cars. The old .41 did the job every time.


I watched Steve Herret shoot an antelope and 400 yards with a wildcat
load out of TC pistol out at the ranch.

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Eccentric old coot

Here in WV’s mountains?

Min: .357 Magnum
Max: .44 Magnum

Loaded appropriately, if it walks here they’ll drop it. (Really, the .357 will do it. The .44 just does it a little quicker)

I’ve carried both as backup, but I’m primarily a rifle hunter.

L-frame 686 / N-frame 629

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357mag to 500S&W that will cover everything from a Couse deer to a Tyrannosaurus rex. I handgun hunt with a S&W 629 8 3/8" barrel toped with a Burris scope.

I have a SRH in .454, mine is the 5" Toklat version. Not that I would hunt anything on the planet with it, but the .454 will take anything on the planet. Come to think of it, I might hunt anything on the planet with it if the opportunity came along..

I also have a Super Redhawk 454 Casull / 45 Long Colt. Very nice trigger. Mine is the 8in barrel. Got it on a trade, recently shot it with 45 Long Colt, zero recoil. Have to give Ruger credit here.

Lonegle57,
I make the furniture for my contenders.
Each forearm, grip, or buttstock has unique specifics about it.
My last project was a shrouded forearm for the SSK barrel in 6x45.
A prior owner, a machinist, had turned the front 9 1/2" of barrel to a .55" diameter.
I decided to build it a custom forearm with about 3/8" of muzzle protruding.
It provides a fully free-floated barrel housing from the rear dovetail forward.
It's cut from maple and may yet be shaped further as I sometimes have to shoot them for a while and see if further improvements are necessary. It's extremely accurate.
Here's the 444 barrel with a different scope.
It's forearm was my first glue-up of thin linotype spacing strips.
Here's a thumbhole stock I built for my 204 Ruger barrel.

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Think twice, shoot once.

Gemihur,
thanks for the reply, good looking work, have always liked the custom grips and forends that are created for the TC's. Have a number of handmade sets, have made a couple forends but havent ventured into grips yet.
thanks again for your time

I have shot deer with a .44 magnum, 41 magnum & a 500 S&W.
Only one that traveled far was the 41 Magnum, but that could have been me.
The first one with the 44 magnum I had the revolver sighted in for 100
yds and it was only 5 yrds shot. Took 2 shots to finish the buck off.......
Hit too high....

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

Have you ever been to Alaska and seen any of the great bears?

Big 'aint they?
I think your assessment is a little on the light side.

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CSM, U S Army(Ret) 1963-1990

I have killed several deer with each of the following calibers... .357, .41 mag and .44 mag. All did well, even on slightly marginal hits.

The last couple of years I have been carrying a 10mm when in the woods. Ive shot two full sized deer, one at 45 yards and one at 70. Both only made it a short distance and dropped in sight. I am shooting a 180 grain JHP running about 1200.

The Danish Sirius Dog Sled Patrol in Greenland think the Glock 20 in 10mm is enough for polar bears.

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Thread Killer.

I like the 10 mms. Carried one on the ranch for 20 years. Shot cattle that been hit by cars, and all kinds of varmints including a coyote at 80 yards.
As much as I like it, I don’t think I wanna play with polar and grizzle bears with one.

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Eccentric old coot

Awesome.I want one just like it.

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Life is short,live it fully.

Evidently, Elmer Keith felt otherwise, and I dunno about you, but I lack the qualifications to refute him on that statement.

That being said, seeing as I'm not a big game hunter, if I were to set foot in a place where Grizzly Bear roam, then it would be with my Mossberg 590 Shockwave strapped to my back, loaded with Brenneke Black Magic Magnum Slugs.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

I have a Smith 41 magnum but I don’t really enjoy shooting it with full power loads I would use my model 28 or my Ruger security six 357 for whitetails and that would also be the minimum I would use. For protection in bear country I would carry the model 58 Smith.

It is a highly effective weapon


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I am no expert but after having killed over three dozen whitetails with various handguns my observations are as follows:

Bullet penetration to and through vital organs is paramount as is being able to "hit" the vital organs.

Sufficient penetration is more important than bullet expansion.

The larger the bore size and the larger the meplat diameter the more effective the handgun is.

Now the above only applies to real "handguns" with normal barrel lengths. If you are using a single shot with a 15" barrel in normal deer rifle calibers it is another game completely.