Revolvers for hunting.

[mellonhead]

I am mainly a handgun hunter. I hunt mostly with big bore iron sighted revolvers. I was just wondering if there was any more handgun hunters hanging out here. Right now my goto gun is a Freedom Arms with a 5" barrel in 475 Linebaugh shooting a 400 ball.

Toby

 

[Muskeez]

Two seasons of handgun hunting whitetails in Iowa under my belt. I love it! I do still carry my ML at the same time, since both weapons are legal during our gun season, just in case a huge one only gives me a 100 yard+ shot. Shot a 2.5 yr old 100" buck my first year of handgun hunting and a doe in the last 15 minutes of the season last year. Shooting a Ruger GP100, .357, 6" SS, first gun had a red dot, (borrowed from friend) then I bought the same gun and put a variable 2-6 scope on mine. Last years doe was shot at 12 yards, wish I would have had iron sights for that instance. Handgun hunting breathed new life back into gun hunting whitetails for me!

 

[mtlion]

I have a couple muley doe tags, going to try for archery or handgun kills to spice it up. Ruger Super Redhawk 44 Mag w/ iron sights is what I'll be packing. Never killed a big game animal with a handgun but I bet I can get 'er done.

 

[Biscuit Hunter]

Right now my goto gun is a Freedom Arms with a 5" barrel in 475 Linebaugh shooting a 400 ball.

Toby

Freedom Arms makes an awesome revolver. My goto woods carry sidearm is a stainless New Model Ruger Bisley Blackhawk in .45LC. I bought it from a gunsmith when he upgraded to a FA. He had done some trigger work, installed a free-spinning pawl, opened up the throats to .453, and added a Belt Mountain base pin. Makes for a good shooting gun. Here's what close to two dozen grains of H110 looks like when it goes off in the pitch dark. I call it my redneck flashlight






So far, the only critters I've killed with it were a couple of unlucky rattlesnakes. I ran into them about 30 minutes apart from one another, and went two for two on head shots from about 20 feet. Like I said, they were REALLY unlucky, and figuring that I've used up all of my luck head-shooting snakes with hard ball, I now carry a couple chambers of shot loads if I'm worried about rattlers.




If my schedule allows for it this spring, I'm hoping to chase some AZ javi's on a HAM tag.


Welcome to Hunt Talk, and post up some pics of that .475 in action.

 

[Dave N]

May just strap my .44 Redhawk on this fall. Sometimes the deer get CLOSE!

 

[JohnCushman]

I decided my gun collection wasn't complete without a .44 mag, so I bought a Taurus Raging Bull at the PX on Ft Carson. I plan on doing some hunting with it. It blows up melons and milk jugs great. I also have a Taurus Judge. That is the snake gun and it's just fun in general to shoot.

 

[mellonhead]

Here Are some pics of my 475's and some of the game they have taken. Its not what I was wanting to show you but Photobucket is giving me fits!!!!!!

 

[mellonhead]

The buck on top I found bedded down in the very spot he is laying in the pic. I snuck up behind him for about a 55 yard shot. He rolled over and never got out of his bed. That was with my 6" 475. Shot the ground hog about 3 months before the buck. I shot 4 doe with My 5" 475 last year but my camera had taken a dump in archery season and I got no pics of them.

The pic of the 2 guns are both of my 475's. Top one is a 6" premier grade and the bottom one is a 5" octagon barreled premier grade.

Bottom pic is a pic of the 400 grain SWC I shoot out of them. I just started playing with a 405 grain LFN stlye bullet that is showing alot of promise at longer ranges.

Toby

 

[Biscuit Hunter]

mellonhead,

Thanks for sharing the pics. Your post brought up some good memories. When I was a teenager my family and I were on a road trip that took us through Freedom, WY, and I spotted a small sign on the highway that said something like "Home of Freedom Arms." My "dad dad dad dad we HAVE to check this out" worked, and we stopped to visit their facility. I didn't get to test drive one, but they let me handle all of the different models. To me, they have the most comfortable grip of any SA revolver, and the fit and finish is outstanding. I've wanted one ever since.

About the ground hog...it looks awfully clean...did you even have to shoot it, or did the sight of you bearing down on it with your 475 just scare it to death?

 

[mellonhead]

Most of the other side of it is missing!!!!! I have three Freedom Arms right now. Two 475's and a custom 500 JRH. They are excellent revolvers. I have been mainly hunting with a handgun for about the last 8 years. I have shot a bunch of deer and ground hogs here in PA. I hope to connect with an elk this fall in Colorado with the 5" 475.

Toby

 

[GSP4EVER]

I will be hunting with a handgun this year after opening day with the rifle. I have a Taurus Raging Bull 8 3/8" 44 Mag. If I am successful, it will be my first deer with a handgun, and will also be my first harvest with my own handloaded ammo. For this season I will be using 270 grain Speer Deep Curl ontop of 15 grains of AA#9.

 

[Wyoming Sage]

I always carry my Taurus 44 mag with me when hunting. I have been known to stumble up on something from time to time and put it in the freezer. Mostly Deer and Antelope.