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.

how about a .454 casull?
You can load light loads in 45lc and it is a hoot to shoot.

i have the Toklat version, with the 5" barrel, and they also make one with a 7" barrel.

I have it loaded with 360gr hard cast around 1400fps.... and those are not fun to shoot at all...

there are alot of .452 bullets out there for deer and black bear hunting.

I have loaded 240 grain hornady xtp, and have shot it at 200 yards, open sights....

either version of the super redhawk will have scope mounts, and with the 240-250 gr bullets would make a great deer or black bear cartridge with a scope on it....

Another thumbs up for the 454. On a soft and friendly day I load it down to 45LC levels. But if a rouge semi truck needs stopping, A full house load of H110 with a 300 grain plug will do that to. Mine is a model 83 Freedom Arms in 5 1/2 "

I agree with the 44 or 41 mags.

My vote would be for the 44 mag. Got a Ruger redhawk and love it. Wide range of loads and will kill anything you need to

Thanks for all the suggestions and help. Guess I’ll do a little shopping now.

41 mag or 45 LC in a 6 inch Smith or a snake gun would get my vote.

I don’t know anything about the .480 Ruger cartridge, it may be a good one to consider.

My secretary’s husband is all of 5’4” and very thin - he used to be a bull rider in the PBR. (I never could understand why she married the bum.). Anyway, he bought a S&W in .500 caliber for deer hunting. He sort of sighted it in for hunting. He hunted with it for one year and sold it. Never got a deer with it. He was too afraid to shoot it, and just didn’t want to shoot it.

Did you select your gun yet?

I have been using a Ruger Super RedHawk 44 Mag. with a 2x scope for about 20 years. It is very accurate with handloaded 300 gr. Hornady XTP I have it sighted in at 100 yards. It works great on deer. And my brother used his on bear. I always use some type of rest while hunting.

No love for S+W 629 here? Lots of Ruger fans.

I mentioned the 629.The older ones are better.

Opinions on the Taurus? Good or bad? Compared to Ruger or S&W.

Taurus is ok they are generally a s&w clone

quality control has been lacking at times and if your gun isn't right you send it to the US address that sends it to brazil and it can take months to get your gun back. they do have a lifetime warranty but it takes time.

Ruger has great customer service it is in the US and if sent in they generally have it back in shipping withing a week to two weeks.

Rugers are also built like tanks , there is a reason most loading manuals have ruger only loads listed , because the smiths and taurus can't take them safely.

I’ll add Taurus to the “No interest” list. Thanks

I agree with all that.The "Ruger Only" pertains to the .45 Colt cartridge.Rugers are built like tanks.S+W's usually have better triggers,out of the box but with a little work,Rugers can be improved.

Taurus is not even anywhere close to Ruger in design or manufacturing quality. They are quite pathetic in comparison.

Ruger guns retain their value very well in case you are concerned about future resale or trade value.

Taurus look like a Smith on the outside but inside are far inferior. They cannot be given a good trigger job like a Smith.

Ruger Bisley,5 1/2"

Ruger Redhawk,4"

S+W 629 Mountain Gun,4"

These are some I have used over the years. Regretfully I have sold the Anaconda. I have, however, taken several deer with the Ruger Super Redhawk and have been happy with the way it shoots. All are .44 mags.

I like those scopes MnMan.

454 Casull. You can load it up or down to .45 Colt level.

I like that 629 Taximan. Why don’t you just sell me that one? Then I’ll be done with this.

Shoot a Smith & Wesson model 57, 41 mag with an 8 3/8 barrel, sweet.

You need something with a little less recoil and I happen to be attached to this one.A 629 with a heavy,5" or standard weight 6" would be a better fit for you.I'd recommend a revolver that weighs app.48 oz,unloaded.The Mountain Gun is 39 oz.

Here's a bear it took last year.It has taken another bear plus antelope and deer.

Any opinions on the Ruger SP101? Forget about calibers. They are much more affordable. I know you get what you pay for. But something that’s probably not going to get a ton of use.

the SP101 is the smaller frame typically shorter barrel you would probably want a GP100 or KGP100 K signifies stainless

very nice gun also.

They are an excellent gun but I consider the .357 borderline for deer.It can be done with the right load and good shot placement.I would definitely go with the longer barrel length with the .357 for hunting.I have seen custom SP101's chambered for the 10mm.I could live with one of those.If you decide to go that route,practice,know your effective range and stick to it.Research the best deer loads,wait for a high percentage shot and use a rest.Don't be shy about taking follow up shots if they present themselves.

I haven't hunted deer with the .357 so no help on loads.I would probably start looking at 180 gr bullets.Hopefully someone who has taken deer with a .357 HANDGUN,can help with that.

Sorry guys,I may have been thinking of the SP100.I would definitely recommend a longer barrel and adjustable sights.

I have much experience with the Ruger SP101. It is a great gun, but I would not consider it a hunting handgun. It is a medium size frame and in .357 a 5 shot. It is very accurate. It would be difficult to mount a scope.

I had a stainless GP100 in .357 with a 6” heavy barrel and adjustable sights. Wish I didn’t trade it. Very accurate, large frame, good mass, great trigger. I think this would make a good hunting handgun.

However, with my Super RedHawks, there is no doubt they would make the finest hunting handguns. Large, heavy, stable, great trigger, larger caliber, barrel milled for the included scope mounts, and extremely cool looking gun!

One thing to consider when shooting revolvers, especially the big powerful loads and large frame guns. Do not ever grip the gun so that your second hand wraps around the front of the cylinder. Hot gas escapes and can very seriously injure that hand. I saw a guy do that and he received a burn and bruise. I read about an event at a shooting club where a guy lost part of his hand.

Best wishes.

Any hunting for deer would be close range for me. Most likely 50 yards or closer. I don’t want a scope. Maybe a red dot though? Bear will be with hounds. So probably from a tree? Or @ least under 20 yards if on the ground. I’m still leaning towards 357. I believe it to be sufficient.

Cabela’s sells GP100 w/6” in 357 mag. stainless for $729

Model 83 in 454 Cas. Load it from "soft and fluffy" 45 LC to " holy crap" Cas loads and anything in between

No offense. But Why such a large caliber gun, just load it down to a tolerable level? Why not the right caliber for the intended purpose?
I have absolutely no use for something that large.

I had not seen this.I need one.
https://ruger.com/products/gp100MatchChampion/specSheets/1775.html

Actually I enjoy shooting it with full house loads on the rifle range. I have it down loaded when its at home in case the missus needs to pick it up when I am not here and she is ok shooting it at 45 LC level . It fits my hand pretty good and I guess that takes care of the recoil to an extent. A lot of folks that have shot it are done with it after one to 5 rounds though.

Yeah..That’s not what I’m looking for. But I totally respect your opinions. Thanks

Well I pulled the trigger yesterday. lol

Traded a S&W 686-6 w/2.5” barrel in .357mag for the exact same thing with a 6” barrel. Had to give a $100 to boot. I’m happy though.
I looked at the GP100 pretty hard. But it didn’t seem to fit/grip or point as nicely as the S&W. And the trigger on the Ruger was horrible. IMO

Nice,Wise choice of barrel length.

Just buy a 6" or longer barreled .44 Revolver with a muzzle brake on it. 629 Vcomp Smith & W. Is a nice choice.

He already bought.

ive killed two deer with my 357 revolver. shot 158 grain cast round nose bullets. shot both in the heart and they went down quick.

if you reload try h110 or Winchester 296. exact same powder made at the same plant just put in different jugs

Thanks Danny. I’ll give it a try. I already have some H110.