Hunting Revolvers

[Jeff Higgins]

It's that time of year again, when many of us are heading for the field in pursuit of our favorite game. Alas, I will likely miss this year due to yet another surgery stemming from our bike wreck last year, but at least I can b.s. about it a bit.

So, here is one of my favorite dedicated hunting revolvers. It's a Ruger Bisley in (what else?...) .45 Colt. I bought this back when they first came out; the grip frame was supposed to be better when dealing with heavy recoil. And, lo and behold - it actually is.



My standard hunting load for it (and the only load that actually gets shot in it) is a 300 grain bullet cast of wheel weights in an LBT mold, lubed with SPG, and seated over 24 grains of W-W 296 or H110 (these powders are identical - from the same hopper at the same plant), and sparked by a CCI #350 magnum primer. Good for just about 1,400 fps.

I've never actually recovered a bullet from anything killed with it; it achieves full penetration on the largest of big game animals available around here, from any angle to boot.

Which brings me to this - I have not hunted with the darn thing in a decade or more. Recoil and blast are both pretty darn stout. Prior to hunting with this thing, I used this next revolver, an Interarms Virginian Dragoon in .44 mag.



I played with 300 grain bullets in it as well, but went back to the old Keith (Lyman #429421) bullet and load - 22 grains of 2400 with a standard primer, for about 1,300 fps. It, too, would shoot all the way through anything I ever hit with it. It, too, is loud as hell and kicks more than a little bit (but nothing like that heavy .45 Colt load). In retrospect, I have to wonder why I thought I needed "more".

Which brings me, finally, to this next revolver - a plain old Peacemaker in .45 Colt.



Shooting either 40 grains of FFFg black powder or a smokeless powder equivalent load of 16 grains of 2400 behind the RCBS .45-270 SAA bullet, for about 900 fps. Recoil ain't bad, it won't pin your ears back to shoot it when hunting, and it still has managed to shoot clear through a couple of big mulies standing broadside. What more do we really need?

In light of all of this, this year's "new" hunting revolver was going to be just my 7 1/2" Peacemaker, just to gain a bit of sight radius. After all those years of playing with the big boomers, the light has finally come on. A standard velocity .45 Colt (with the proper bullet) appears to be all I really need to go hunting. Nobody could have convinced me of that 25-30 years ago.

[varmint]

i have a Freedom 83 in .454 casull. but it is more for "oh ****! grizzly!" situations than hunting.

[BeyGon]

Those are really nice, I haven't had any of them but did take a .44 mag with me while working in SE Alaska. After that I had a Stainless Python .357 with 8" barrel that I really liked. A little light for your hunting. but accurate.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by varmint

i have a Freedom 83 in .454 casull. but it is more for "oh ****! grizzly!" situations than hunting.

Great for lighting them on fire, I suppose.

I love the Freedom Arms guns. Some of the best made revolvers ever. Period. By the time I got to seriously considering one, however, I was already way into my de-escalation mode. Then the question became "what for?" Maybe someday it will be "just because...".

[Seahawk]

Sorry to hear you are still in recovery...how is Mrs. Higgins?

The Ruger Vacaro I bought because of all your "wheel gun" threads remains by my side.

[Bill Douglas]

Opps, I didn't see the word revolver

.

[CalE]

Jeff,
Not trying to Hi jack thread, Have you or anyone fired S&W 460 XVR revolver?, I like the looks and would love to lose long gun for deer and hogs, Any input would be great, Thanks.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by CalE

Jeff,
Not trying to Hi jack thread, Have you or anyone fired S&W 460 XVR revolver?, I like the looks and would love to lose long gun for deer and hogs, Any input would be great, Thanks.

I have never owned one, nor have I ever owned one of their .500 S&W's. There are several within my extended circle of shooting friends and gun club members, though, so I've had a chance to shoot both.

First impression is that they are absolutely freakin' HUGE. Probably heavier than whatever hunting rifle you want to ditch. Second impression is their unholy blast and recoil - every bit as much as a heavy .454 Casull load. All of this to simply drive the bullet deeper into the dirt on the other side of the animal - no thanks.

These things are way, way beyond what is needed for hunting deer and hogs. Get a good .44 mag (Super Blackhawk, Redhawk, M29, etc.) and don't look back. Or, if you reload, any of those in their .45 Colt equivalents. The big S&W's are purely bragging rights, and most serious shooters just kind of snicker at them.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Sorry to hear you are still in recovery...how is Mrs. Higgins?

The Ruger Vacaro I bought because of all your "wheel gun" threads remains by my side.

My lovely wife had another surgery as well - we decided to get them done at the same time, since it meant significant downtime for both of us. She is recovering well, as am I. Thanks for asking.

I love my Vaquero - it's one of my most carried and most fired guns. Small enough to accompany me much of the time (even concealed, at least in colder weather) with enough punch to hunt with, if I so choose. Perfect incarnation of the "sidearm". It doesn't hurt that it is very accurate, and comfortable to shoot as well.

[CalE]

Thanks Jeff,
Currently using m629 hg and BLA 22-250 lg, Lot's of fun just looking for one rig, Plus more room in p/u.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by CalE

Thanks Jeff,
Currently using m629 hg and BLA 22-250 lg, Lot's of fun just looking for one rig, Plus more room in p/u.

With your 629, you are already there. Outstanding deer/hog gun. What barrel length?

[CalE]

8 3/8" with hogue mono grip. Thanks.

[Rednine11]

I have a 454 and a 308 dessert eagle. they are both violent to shoot

[ben parrish]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I have never owned one, nor have I ever owned one of their .500 S&W's. There are several within my extended circle of shooting friends and gun club members, though, so I've had a chance to shoot both.

First impression is that they are absolutely freakin' HUGE. Probably heavier than whatever hunting rifle you want to ditch. Second impression is their unholy blast and recoil - every bit as much as a heavy .454 Casull load. All of this to simply drive the bullet deeper into the dirt on the other side of the animal - no thanks.

These things are way, way beyond what is needed for hunting deer and hogs. Get a good .44 mag (Super Blackhawk, Redhawk, M29, etc.) and don't look back. Or, if you reload, any of those in their .45 Colt equivalents. The big S&W's are purely bragging rights, and most serious shooters just kind of snicker at them.

Jeff is correct about the .460 and .500. I have both in the family and they are big guns The 460 has a bi-pod and it makes it a lot better to handle for long range with the Leupold scope. The .500 is an animal but not nearly as bad as most think. Never hunted with it but at about 75 yards with iron sights, it is very accurate and would take down anything you wanted to hunt(pumpkins turn to orange mist). The .460 may kick as bad if you are not on a bench rest...neither are good for weak wrists or scared shooters.

Jeff, I've never hunted with either but you have me thinking. I hunt on family land and use both tree stands and platform stands so I have rests in most situations. What is the range you would consider smart for the .460? 75-100 yards? I know it's capable of longer shots but I'm not sure I am.

[Jeff Higgins]

Kind of the "rule of thumb" that I've seen promoted time and again everywhere from the hunting and shooting press to real life guides (both here and abroad) is the "paper plate" standard, for lack of a better term. Whatever it is you are shooting, the maximum range at which you can place each and every shot on a paper plate from a field position is about as far as you should be shooting at a game animal. That goes for handguns, rifles, whatever. Seems like a pretty good standard. Any suitable hunting revolver will certainly kill at ranges far beyond that, but it's still up to us to put it in the right spot.

[CalE]

Thanks Guys,
You got to love this forum, I'm a newbie here and always get Quality advice from the good people here. Thanks again.