Anyone ever taken a deer with a pistol?

HardDrive · 10-30-2013, 07:18 PM

My main hunt is in northern Michigan in November. Heavily forested, with some large breaks that have been logged. I'm certainly not leaving my rifle at home, but the fact is, the last 2 deer I took were 40-50 feet away, and thats pretty typical for the area. I'd like to take a crack at it with my Ruger .357 Blackhawk.

I don't think it would be ethical to attempt this using the iron sights on the gun. I would upgrade to some flavor of fiber optics sights at minimum, or perhaps a proper scope. I would also likely upgrade the grips.

Anyone go this route? Any thoughts on a red dot type scope for a Blackhawk?

Paging Dr. Higgins......

HardDrive · 10-30-2013, 07:24 PM

.....looks like a scope it not an option on a Blackhawk, at least not without drilling. Should have went with a Superhawk......

Jeff Higgins · 10-30-2013, 07:51 PM

Yes. Quite a few actually. Plus quite a few head of other big game. It's a lot of fun, and quite a challenge. Approach it a lot like bow hunting - the effective ranges are about the same, at least when shooting ethically at unwounded game.

Why not iron sights? I have never used anything else, and (I'm a little ashamed to admit...) I've shot game at somewhat "unethical" ranges with said open sights. I won't say how far, since I really don't want to get into that, but suffice to say open sights will work just fine at "ethical" handgun ranges. The Blackhawk is blessed with outstanding open sights, entirely suitable at handgun hunting ranges.

I hate to say it, but if you feel you need "better" sighting equipment, there is, in all honesty, something else at play here. Don't make the mistake of thinking that better sights, be they optical or whatever, will make you a better handgun shot. Sights are never the limiting factor in handgun shooting, although many would like to convince themselves that their sights are the only thing holding them back. They are not - only one thing is holding back most erstwhile handgun hunters.

Practice - that's it, that's all. More of it than most would think. A couple thousand rounds a year through your hunting handgun is almost enough. I'm not kidding... Until you can pile them all onto a standard paper plate at, say, 100 yards from field positions with hunting loads, you are not ready to hunt with your handgun. The handgun is by far the toughest arm to learn, and there are no shortcuts. Certainly none you can just buy and screw to the top of one. Practice, practice, and more practice. You will know when you get there. When you do, you will chuckle to yourself at the thought of your previous "need" for "better" sights. That's when you will be ready to hunt with a handgun.

So much for the shooter - now onto the gun, or more accurately, its caliber. I know guys shoot deer with the .357 every season. I've done it, and never will again. I'll use it on coyotes, maybe, but even they can be kind of tough. It is simply lacking in power - no ifs, ands, or buts. With a proper hard cast, heavy bullet, it achieves all the penetration of the bigger bores, but it makes a lot smaller hole. Jacketed bullets are hopeless, be they soft or hollow points - they simply lack the necessary penetration.

But, if you insist, at least buy some quality ammo with hard cast bullets, from Buffalo Bore or someone like that, with 158-180 grain bullets. And start practicing - for next year. Weekly, if not more often. Short sessions of maybe a few cylinder's worth are better than long sessions where you get tired and form bad habits.

Oh, and while you are practicing with the .357, be looking for something bigger. Something that starts with a "4". Another Blackhawk would be ideal, validating the practice you've gotten with the .357.

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

I got one with a 911 but not a 1911.

Jeff Higgins · 10-30-2013, 08:30 PM

Went digging through the archives to see what I could find as far as hunting photos with handguns. Seems I don't have many on this computer... oh well. Here's one, somewhere just south of the Brooks Range. Caribou don't get all that big up there, and it's hard to get real close. This one was taken with an Interarms Virginian Dragoon in .44 mag, shooting a 300 grain hard cast bullet from and LBT mold over about 24 grains of 296.

Here is the gun (at the bottom) with another Virginian Dragoon in .357 mag. This .44 has been my go-to hunting handgun for about 30 years. I've used others, including Peacemakers with original spec black powder loads (and their very rudimentary open sights), but this Dragoon is the one I grab when I'm serious.

I've toned down the loads in a good deal since the caribou photo was taken, having gone back to the original Keith load with bullets from the RCBS .44-250K mold. 250 grain bullets at 1,300 fps are way more fun to shoot than 300 grain bullets at the same velocity, and they still go all the way through 250 pound Washington Mulies.

Hell, even 250 grain .45 Colts at black powder velocities (900 fps) come out the other side. The key is the big hole - not velocity. I've got a great picture of a pronghorn I took down in Rawlins one year with my 4 3/4" "carry" Colt, with a black powder load. I'll dig around for it and scan it if I can find it. One of these days I'll have to scan all m old photos...

crownarch · 10-30-2013, 08:31 PM

No, as where I live you cannot hunt deer with a pistol. In 1980 I got a nice two point bull elk with a 60 lb. re-curve bow on Mt St. Helens which was a year before the mountain top erupted. Probably one of the best hunts I was ever on. Got up above a big herd and worked my way down and waited for them to move up to me. I used one arrow only and was a nice clean kill. Snow was knee deep and I was hid behind a large fir stump and as they moved past me I had a perfect sight area. I doubt that I could ever repeat that hunt though.

Drdogface · Drdogface's Garage

Not a deer but did take a boar with a Super Blackhawk years ago...very hot 44 Mag load. Two hand hold and AimPoint red dot sight.

JTO · 10-31-2013, 04:05 AM

Yep
I have a Freedom Arms model 83 in 454 Casull. I scoped it with a Leupold 2.5-8 V3 . I only shoot handloads and it is very accurate.
Troy

livi · 10-31-2013, 04:32 AM

Nope. Usually take it with potatoes and vegetables.

HardDrive · 08:28 AM

@Jeff, my concern with the sights is lighting, not accuracy. I hunt out of a tent blind, and many of our deer are taken in low light situations at the end of the day. (Although oddly, we have noticed a large number of deer taken at 2pm in the afternoon in our camp.) My concern is that I would not even be able to see the sights in the dark. If I had tritium/fiber sights on, it would be a big help.

HardDrive · 10-31-2013, 05:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by livi

Nope. Usually take it with potatoes and vegetables.

You really should try it. Just make sure you boil the pistol long enough and add sufficient salt. Otherwise it can be quite tough.

id10t · 10-31-2013, 05:38 AM

I've got a Contender (classic, not G2, with switch style safe/rf/cf selector) in 44mag w/ ported 8" barrel that I've been thinking of selling. $525 shipped from my local FFL guy to yours....

Jeff Higgins · 10-31-2013, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HardDrive

@Jeff, my concern with the sights is lighting, not accuracy. I hunt out of a tent blind, and many of our deer are taken in low light situations at the end of the day. (Although oddly, we have noticed an oddly large number of deer taken at 2pm in the afternoon in our camp.) My concern is that I would not even be able to see the sights in the dark. If I had tritium/fiber sights on, it would be a big help.

Ah, o.k. - that changes things. It would be tough to see open sights under those conditions, especially held up against a deer. Hmmm... I've never seen any sort of tritium or fiber optic sights for the Blackhawk, though. And, as you have discovered, scoping them is a real challenge. The front post does come off - if you look real close, you'll see a tiny little roll pin holding it in. The rear sight, of course, is an easy swap, assuming something were available. One would think some aftermarket manufacturer would take advantage of that and offer some sort of low light sight solution. Maybe someone does, but I sure have not seen one.

Hmmm... might be time for a Super Blackhawk Hunter, with the top rib that has integral scope mounting notches. The Super Redhawk has them as well, but it's a double action with a markedly different grip shape and a really crappy trigger.

livi · 10-31-2013, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HardDrive

You really should try it. Just make sure you boil the pistol long enough and add sufficient salt. Otherwise it can be quite tough.

Touché!

ledhedsymbols · 10-31-2013, 07:42 AM

Took a white-tail when I was a teenager with a Dan Wesson .41 Magnum over iron sights when I was a teenager. The last deer that I took was a 175 yd shot on a muley, but I don't think a T/C contender in .308 with a 3-9X Leoupold counts as a handgun.

scottmandue · 10-31-2013, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by livi

Nope. Usually take it with potatoes and vegetables.

I have taken a few dear with tequila... but it is very messy

matt711 · matt711's Garage

Glock G20 in 10mm, have used it for Deer and Hogs. Fiber optic sight or small holographic sight make low light conditions a non issue.

livi · 10-31-2013, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottmandue

I have taken a few dear with tequila... but it is very messy

Jumping out of a bush, cracking the bottle over their head, do you?

livi · 10-31-2013, 08:31 AM

Oh dear.

FLYGEEZER · 10-31-2013, 08:40 AM

I am not a sportsman, I am a hunter, I hunt for meat and want the kill fast & clean. No photos, no heads on display, no 8-9 point rack over my fireplace. Meat in the freezer, you bet! it ain't a game to me. I use a rifle, the same 30.06 I've used for years. I have "given in" to the use of a 20x scope now that the 70+ years has dimmed my vision a little but... the season is just comming up and a nice young doe that will dress out about 100 lbs. will do just fine. Pistols that I own are just fine for personal protection and thats where it ends. Our "house gun" is a 20ga shotgun that always ready to dance.