handgun hunting?

[anb]

Anyone here ever do much hunting with a handgun. I am thinking about it for next season - seems easier to carry through heavy cover than a big ole shotgun. The range won't be nearly as good, but in thicker cover you have to be closer to even see them anyhow. Anyway I was thinking a nice .410 would be good for birds/rabbits, or a .22 would work for rabbits also. Any thoughts?
Andrea

[BigShooter]

Andrea,

I've hunted successfully with a few different handguns. The first thing many people don't understand is that it is much more difficult to be accurate with a handgun with open sights for many reasons. To shoot accurately with a handgun you need a "rest" to steady yourself and the gun. You can't just whip out a handgun & hit what you'd like to (as seen on TV). The front & rear sights on an open sighted handgun are much closer together than on a rifle. As the sighting plane gets shorter accuracy is diminished. I would highly recommend locating a gun club or handgun range where you can try several handguns to see how you like handgunning & note what kind of accuracy you're capable of.

I would also suggest if you want to use a handgun that you research the alternatives to open sights (scopes, red dot, holo sights, etc.).

[Shadow]

I've got Ruger Blachawk 357 Magnum that I've hunted with quite a bit- Alaska, Minnesota, Kansas- open sights- quite nice to have it strapped on the hip

eyes started to let me down so I now have the Hallo Graphic sight on it- darn accurate with the proper loads

I've also got a Ruger Single Six convertable- carry it on the hip also- great for camping, plinking, and practice for the magnum
there is a state you can use it on roosters- great fun

I'd look at a single action 22 revolver and a pistol belt and holster- get that case of 500 22 long rifles from Wall Mart- think close range like 25' for starting out- practice practice practice- some don't think this way but don't try to hold perfectly still- let the pistol move a little and learn to squeeze and follow thru

rabbits are the most fun just try to get close and go easy- watch where your bullets are going- 22 carries quite a long distance and can glance off the ground and carry

[BigShooter]

practice practice practice- some don't think this way but don't try to hold perfectly still- let the pistol move a little and learn to squeeze and follow thru

Sure without a rest, rifles move a bit also but much less. We try to get the barrel to move in a circle around the bulls eye. The smaller the circle the better. Handguns also tend to move more with the pull of the trigger. Accuracy is definitely enhanced with a rest of some sort. There's a reason millions hunt with long guns and relatively few hunt with hand guns. It's not that you can't do it with a handgun but it's just not as it's advertised on TV or in the movies. Also, from a safety perspective just remember it's a lot easier to whip a handgun around and end up pointing at something you shouldn't. Check State laws. Even when out in the woods concealed carry laws may apply and you'll either need a concealed carry permit to carry a gun under your coat or use a bandolier or hip holster on the outside.

Don't get me wrong, handguns are fun and there's the challenge of trying to get closer for more likelihood of success. In addition to shooting open sights close, I'm also set up to shoot 150 yards plus. When you can hit an upland bird in flight with a .410 handgun you'll really have accomplished something spectacular. A .22 or .410 will both work on small game.

[ezzy333]

One other point that way too many people forget. That is respect for the animal you are hunting. If we are going to hunt and kill it needs to be done as humanely as possible and bnot take any more chance that necessary that the quarry may be just wounded and left to die a slow death or be crippled forever. I do think hand guns are fine for still targets if you are proficient with them but very very few are since it takes hours of practice to get to that level. I'd rather see them used for target shooting and keep the hunting to the best instruments we can take to the field.
'
Ezzy

[Shadow]

you don't need to go there Ezzy- there are many that because they can't shoot shouldn't be using a rifle-

Big- there's some that say I was pretty good with a handgun

I see no reason why he shouldn't pick up a 22 pistol and see how serious he is about practicing with it- might even find he has the knack and wants to try hunting with a bigger handgun

.410 pistol- you're kidding- what's that got to do with being good with a handgun

[BigShooter]

Big- there's some that say I was pretty good with a handgun

I don't doubt it for a moment. There are undoubtedly lots of others that weren't as good as you and quite another number that never practiced enough to become sufficiently proficient. I still say for a novice handgunning accurately isn't as easy as it appears on TV or in the movies.

I see no reason why "he"

Shadow, check the OP. Last I knew Andrea was being used for girl's names.

.410 pistol- you're kidding- what's that got to do with being good with a handgun

Check the original post:

Anyway I was thinking a nice .410 would be good for birds/rabbits, or a .22 would work for rabbits also.

Andrea, Good luck with your decision, be safe & have fun!

[Shadow]

apoligize Andrea

I do think you should see if someone has a 22 pistol you could try out-

Big- I do smile at the pistol shooters on TV- I mean the movies-

[mcbosco]

you don't need to go there Ezzy- there are many that because they can't shoot shouldn't be using a rifle-

Big- there's some that say I was pretty good with a handgun

I see no reason why he shouldn't pick up a 22 pistol and see how serious he is about practicing with it- might even find he has the knack and wants to try hunting with a bigger handgun

.410 pistol- you're kidding- what's that got to do with being good with a handgun

Has anyone shot one of those...I keep seeing ads in the NRA Magazine for "The Judge".....big piece

[BigShooter]

.410 pistol- you're kidding- what's that got to do with being good with a handgun

Has anyone shot one of those...I keep seeing ads in the NRA Magazine for "The Judge".....big piece

If you're asking about shooting a .410 pistol - I shoot a Thompson .410 break action handgun - not "The Judge". Although I shoot handguns in both handgun & rifle calibers, I also have not shot the S&W .500 ora .480, .460 or .454 Casul.

[jimbo&rooster]

the judge is a personal defense gimmick in my opinion. I sell guns for a living at a large sporting goods retailer and it amazes me the people who are buying them. Ur looking at a fully rifled 2-3 inch bbl (they make a 6in bbl version but ive not seen one) for a self defence situation or a back packing gun it would be ok loaded with alternating .410 buck and .45colt, but for a practical hunting gun in .410 id say the thompson with the longer bbl would be a good choice. with a 3 or even a 6 in bbl u arnt even getting probably 25% of the possible powder burn and limited velocity for clean kills with a load of shot. also in a rifled bbl I cant imagine that it would produce a workable pattern beyond 20-30ft. again probly a great defense gun, undoubtedly a good snake gun but no practical hunting use.
jim

sorry for the rant just sayin what I cant at work,,,,,,,

[Greg Jennings]

Used to handgun hunt with a TC Contender in 30 Herrett. 14" barrel. 2.5x scope. Was really, really hard on the groundhogs out to 100 yards or so. Eventually sold it to buy a progressive loader to fuel my skeet shooting habit.

Am eventually going to get an Encore and have a custom barrel chambered in the same cartridge, 30 Major, that I shoot in benchrest. Will have to come up with a solution to absolutely keep the two loads separate, but that's for another post.

I often thought about getting a 410 barrel with a choke for potting squirrel and such. No thought ever of shooting something in flight.

[BigShooter]

the judge is a personal defense gimmick in my opinion. also in a rifled bbl I cant imagine that it would produce a workable pattern beyond 20-30ft. again probly a great defense gun, undoubtedly a good snake gun but no practical hunting use. jim sorry for the rant just sayin what I cant at work,,,,,,,

The pattern spreads a lot quicker from a shorter barrel. The Thompson is also a .45 long colt/.410. The barrels are all rifled to give the .45 colt cartridge a chance to fly somewhat accurately. The Thompson folks figured out however that you have to stop a .410 shot wad from spinning to get a usable pattern. They built a screw in "choke" that stops the wad from spinning at the end of the barrel. The "choke" must be unscrewed from the barrel before firing a .45 long colt cartridge. The chamber needed to hold a .410 shell is relatively long. The bullet from the much shorter .45 long colt cartridge is seated back some distance from the start of the rifling, so it travels some before it contacts the rifling. A bullet that is seated well behind the rifling has an inherent disadvantage in accuracy.

[Greg Jennings]

Yep. Can't have a smoothbore barrel to shoot the 410. It's then a "sawed-off shotgun" and illegal.

Greg J.

[BigShooter]

Yep. Can't have a smoothbore barrel to shoot the 410. It's then a "sawed-off shotgun" and illegal. Greg J.

Greg, If I remember correctly that's almost right. SBRs (short barreled rifles) with an over length less than 26" or a barrel less than 16" are "regulated". SBSs (short barreled shotguns), (smoothbores) less than 26" overall or with a barrel less than 18" are "regulated". These two prohibitions together would preclude the TC .410/.45 colt. However the TC falls under regulation & must have been "permit...ted".

[Greg Jennings]

IIRC, it's treated as a straight-up handgun. Just like shooting snake shot in a 45.

Custom actions are similar. There are rifle actions, pistol actions and actions that are not yet either. I got into that because I waffle between a TC Encore and an XP-100-ish for varmint and whitetail.

It gets somewhat complicated because many states allow handgun hunting only with certain cartridges. For example, it is common for them to say only straight-walled case (i.e., no "bottle neck" cartridge) designs. Here is Ohio's cut-and-paste direct from their site:

Handgun – 5-in. min. length barrel, using straight-walled cartridges .357 caliber or larger

So, if one could stand to shoot it, a 444 Marlin or 45-70 handgun would be legal, but a 30-30 would not.

Greg J.

[BigShooter]

Greg,

Come to Minnesota. Our State regs. in part, copied from the DNR web site are:

LEGAL FIREARMS FOR BIG GAME
• It is at least .220 caliber and has center fire ignition;
• It is loaded only with single projectile ammunition;
• The projectile used has a soft point or is an expanding bullet type;*

We used to have special rules for handguns & handgun ammo with caliber & case length specified but I see they're gone now. Also I think the rifle caliber had to be something like .23 or larger but now I see I could use a .220 Swift, .222 or a .223. I personally would prefer not to use something that small on large game.

[Shadow]

whew- you guys are serious on this handgun thing-

heck Greg- maybe we should meet up in SW Minn with Big- and try a little bit of flushed pheasants with 22 pistols

[BigShooter]

heck Greg- maybe we should meet up in SW Minn with Big- and try a little bit of flushed pheasants with 22 pistols

I dunno ... we'd better use .410s 'cause I'd hate to be resposible for all those .22 projectiles we launched a mile or so up in the air past our targets.

[Shadow]

heck Greg- maybe we should meet up in SW Minn with Big- and try a little bit of flushed pheasants with 22 pistols

I dunno ... we'd better use .410s 'cause I'd hate to be resposible for all those .22 projectiles we launched a mile or so up in the air past our targets.

good point- where I used mine was big areas- and there weren't all that many 42 grains dangerously falling

[Greg Jennings]

When I retire, I'm moving back to Alabama. I like the deer hunting regs there. Nov 15th through Jan 31st. 2 deer per day. No tagging, no checking in.

'Course it's awfully hot there in the summer. Thinking maybe a summer place around Stillwater. Just love that town.

Greg J.

[BigShooter]

Greg means Stillwater, MN. along the St. Croix River. It's a pretty, small & somewhat touristy town whose most notable resident was Jessica Lange. It's approximately 45 minutes east of St. Paul, MN. The St. Croix River forms the Minnesota/Wisconsin boundary in that part of the State. After the St. Croix travels further south & joins the Mississippi, the Mississippi become the States' boundary.

[Shadow]

summer in Mn- winter in Alabama- sounds like my folks

figure all those deer you'd be pretty much living on venison- not bad for a long life- eh

[Greg Jennings]

Kept the freezer full of venison in AL. Haven't killed a deer since I moved to OH. My hunting opportunities are 3 hours away or public land. Can't spare 6 hours driving on a normal weekend. Tried the public land and won't repeat it.

[Shadow]

I went to archery arround Lawrence long ago- 5 were enough to keep me in meat all year- here- you're lucky to see a deer

but then again- mountains are fun for elk

[BigShooter]

I know we're off topic but nobody seems to care so a little story:

I'm in Northern Minnesota at one of my bachelor farmer great uncle's funeral. Our three bachelor great uncles in the area were grandma's brothers. My brother, a cousin & I used to help the now deceased great uncle harvest his 2,000 small square bales of hay each year. We also put up the bales into the hay mow on a conveyor and stacked the rest underneath a pole shed. We each got a crisp new $20 bill as our pay plus - the best part for a teenager- all we could eat at suppertime. Pop was available and in those days we really liked Orange Crush soda for some reason. $20 wasn't what the job was worth but we didn't care, we loved our uncle & liked to work on the farm. The money was enough to get us to the local county fair where we took some notice of the opposite sex.

Anyway I'm talking at this funeral with a local farmer somewhat younger than my great uncle and he's telling me he'll never forget the one evening he ran into town to get parts. My grandfather was the local ford dealer, built his showroom and garage with his own hands. His younger brother was the shop mechanic. They were great sportsmen, hunted and fished for nearly everything available in MN., MT, Ontario & Manitoba. The money my grandpa made from trapping he used to send his four girls to college. He was a hard worker.

This guy's dad had sent him to town to get some parts. They had called first and were told to go to grandpa's house. He arrives at the house door. My grandmother tells him that my grandfather is in the garage behind the house. The young man opens the garage door & my grandpa & his brother looked shocked & guilty. Here they were dressing out a deer - out of season. No doubt someone hit it with a vehicle & they volunteered to dispatch the poor critter & make good use of the meat.


I'm told many northern Minnesota men kept their families fed that way during the thirties & early forties. Grandpa had a .22, a .38 special & a .410 pistol & apparently often brought home fresh grouse as well. I'm guessing he was a pretty fair shot with a handgun out of the window along some less well traveled gravel roads!

I used to say I came by my interest in hand-gunning honestly - I'm not sure I can use those exact words anymore. Today many of us shoot with a camera, practice catch & release but even two generations before me hunters and fisherman were after meat for their families & often that carried them through the rough times.

[Shadow]

good story Big- northern Minnesota huh- trapping was important to us- I liked carrying dads 22 H&R 9 shot revolver on the trap line

lots of fish for us- summer and winter- dad was pretty strict on obeying the laws

[BigShooter]

We're close in ages. My dad required us to strictly obey the game laws as well. No shooting even one minute before or after legal shooting times. No exceeding limits. There were plenty in my grandfather's generation though that had watched & helped their fathers and grandfathers gather game to feed their families. Laws regarding seasons, shooting times & limits are relatively new even compared with the years this Country has been in existence. We've seen the transition from those that fed themselves to some now that even have to be taught where their food comes from.

[ezzy333]

Back in the days you are talking about over 95% of the people were involved in agriculture. Today that figure is under 5%. And with the population now over half urban there are millions that do not know a thing about where or how their food is produced. Some what of a sad situation and is just another area that I feel shows our education system is seriously flawed.

Ezzy

[Shadow]

I don't know about 95%- but good point- now we have vege's and so many want things easy- old values of hard work had it's rewards

wasn't to long shooting 100's of 22 shells was changed to - if you keep it up you work for those shells and learn-
same with shot gun- valuable lesson

you sometimes wonder if this economy crashes- some might actually do quite well

[lawoodcocker]

I had a TC Contender with a 10" .410 / .45 barrel that I bought specifically for hunting woodcock. I used it one season and shot quit a few with it. One day it scared me. The trigger pull on the contender is about 2 1/2 - 3 lbs. I discharged it once while I was still swinging it up on a bird. Now, my O/U does not seem so heavy or bulky to carry.
I also shot a few snipe in the salt marsh as they flushed.

[BigShooter]

We should probably explain for those that don't know that the TC is a break action handgun. The older models had a small lever that protrudes above the top of the trigger. It has three positions, it swings left, center and right. One position moves the centerfire striker in place, the center position is safety and the other side position moves the rimfire striker in place. Typically to shoot the .410 the lever is placed in the centerfire position while you are walking or waiting for a shot. To fire while hunting you generally cock the hammer while raising the pistol into position for the shot. Once it is cocked, with the lever already in the centerfire position, all that is required is to pull the trigger. If you cock it before raising it up and away from you towards the target and your hand is already on the trigger it would be relatively easy to pull the trigger before you intend to.

You could carry the older style TCs cocked with the striker lever in the safe position but flipping the little lever over before taking a quick shot would not be very easy.

Newer model hammered guns generally have different style hammer block safeties that prevent this situation.