I’ve been contemplating buying a handgun for hunting big game in Wisconsin. Deer & Bear. Looking for opinions on calibers. I don’t want something with excessive recoil. Maybe 44 mag or 10mm on the high end? Revolver or semi-auto?

what have you shot before ?

44 mag is a very good cartridge there is a lot you can do with it and decent hunting ammo is very available.

ruger redhawk or super blackhawk would serve you well I carry a super blackhawk in 44 mag

I like the .44 but if you want a little less recoil,the .41 is good.Either double or single action is fine.I only shoot single action at game but a swing out cylinder is a nice convenience.I also like the .45 Colt in Rugers,with heavy loads.I'd handle a few and see what fits you.Shooting them would be great if you have a way to do that.

if your not reloading you severely limit yourself in 45lc because few manufacturers will load a ruger only 45lc load for sale to the public

but nearly every reloading manual has Ruger only loads

most 45lc will be loaded to sub 19Kpsi which limits your velocity

where 44mag can run up to 35K psi and push 1400fps with a 240gr bullet while a 45 is down around 900fps for the same weight

I used to have a Super Redhawk in 44 mag. 30 years ago. I shot it well. But as time went by, I used it less & less. So I traded it for a rifle or shotgun? Don’t remember exactly. I currently have a S&W 357. But barrel is to short for Wi. Regs. I believe a 4” or 4.5” is required?

I do reload all the my rifle ammo. So getting dies and components is not a big deal.

Well you have to decide on a platform. If you want a revolver I recommend something that starts with a 4. If you go with a single shot ie. tc g2 makes a nice small package say with a 9” barrel ,gotta go custom which is not a problem or expensive. You will have a huge choice of calibers and cartridges.

I’m pretty sure I want a revolver. Unless there is an advantage in recoil reduction auto?

I love to pistol hunt I think the 44mag would be your best option. My 44 is a super red hawk that I reload with cast lead bullets. I also use a 41 mag with cast. The only 44 pistol bullet I would stay away from for deer or bear is the nosler sport hand gun. Very accurate but thin jacket and really soft lead.

I use a Smith and Wesson .357 for deer with a hard cast lead bullet. 44 Mag would be my second choice. You can load pistols down a lot. You don't need to load them hot all the time. In my experience revolvers have shot more accurately than a semi auto pistol. I have shot some small game with my .357 using .38 Special hand-loads and lead bullets. It is accurate. There is something to be said for a common cartridge and always being able to find ammo also. You might want to look up some of the old Elmer Kieth article about pistol shooting and see what he did with his single action Colts.

I just reread the regs. 5 1/2” barrel length is required.

Wisconsin regs requires 5 1/2 inches from firing pin to muzzle so a 4 inch barrel will work in Wisconsin if it is chambered in 357. because 357 chambers must be a minimum of 1.590 inches long

take a new wood pencil stick it down the muzzle of the unloaded gun till it touches the breech face and mark it then measure that if that measures 5 1/2 or greater you can use it for deer.

it might be a little light for bear.

on a semi auto the barrel length includes the chamber but on a revolver the barrel length is just the barrel and the chamber is not counted in the manufacturers barrel length but in WIS you get to measure from the firing pin to the muzzle as your barrel length to make autos and revolvers equal.

blackhawk in 45 dose all i need and then some

I've owned and hunted with a lot of revolvers.I find Ruger's Bisley grip frame to be more comfortable with heavy loads than any.I owned a custom in .500 Linebaugh.I wouldn't have shot that round on any other platform.These days I have one in .45 Colt and use heavy,Buffalo Bore loads in it.It's plenty for any game in the lower 48.

I would go with a 44mag Redhawk.I have a scope on my when I like to since where it mounts is the same place all the time so I can take it off or put it on when I feel like it and if you reload it is easy to do.I go up to 310grs from Lee that I cast .but do not shoot it much in that gun. but do in my rifle of a 44 mag. that is a Marlin.I also have a 357mag also I work with hand gun and rifle.

Thanks for the explanation Pete. I measure the.357 I already have. But I think it’s still short.

This is a S+W,.44 Mountain gun.It's relatively light and recoil can be brisk so I stick to 240 gr factory loads like Hornady.240's are good for deer.It wouldn't be a good pick for you but the heavier Smiths would handle recoil better.I like the double actions but still find the single actions mitigate recoil better and of those,the Bisley grip frames get the nod.I think a very good match for you would be a Bisley in .41 mag if you could find one.



Sorry,the picture didn't work.

4th vote for 41 Mag!
Here's my daughter shooting 1 of mine...my wife calls it BOOMER...lol.
It (or 1 of the others) has killed 2 black bear, 2 elk, 2 mule deer and 43 whitetails.
In 1984, I started shooting Big Bore Silhouettes, out to 200 meters, I started with a 44 Mag, but the recoil wore me down and I'd be flinching by the 30th round of the day......out of 40, in a match.
My dentist, another competitor, offered me his 41 Mag.....and the rest is history.

The 41 has about 15% more poop than a 357 and the same amt less than a 44.
I have hunted with a 44 Mag off and on for yrs too, and the deer and bears could never tell the difference.

My suggestions are based upon owning and using a few large bore handguns. I used them for bear protection in Alaska. I have not hunted with one.

I recommend the Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 mag or .454 Casull. These cartridges are very versatile for handloading. Design and manufacturing quality is first rate. This gun is available in both 7.5” and 9.5” barrel lengths. For hunting exclusively, I would get the 9.5” barrel.

In my guns, I used maximum power loads pushing solid cast penetrator bullets so I was concerned about recoil. And especially concerned about recovery from recoil and getting off a fast accurate second and third shot. So I sent my guns to Magnaport to have the barrels ported. It made a big difference in recoil. I would estimate a reduction of 25 - 33%. My wife preferred the .44 mag and I preferred the .454. In retrospect, I should have bought the same caliber for both guns.

I was also concerned about reliability and accuracy. These guns have been perfectly reliable. Accuracy has been excellent at the short ranges that I shot them. I have no experience shooting long ranges.

Keep us informed about your selection and progress. Best wishes.