Hunting Pistol?

[Protrucker]

I'd like to try to take a whitetail with one. Obviously I'll have to limit my shots to very close & wait for the perfect opportunity. What would be a good choice?
Caliber:
Style/action:
Manufacturer:

Has anyone here taken a whitetail with a pistol?

I know a lot of people don't think you should hunt with a pistol, but that's a very debatable topic & I don't want to get into a debate about that here. :nono: I just want some advice of what's available as a good choice to use.

 

[mykeal]

Well, obviously one that you can shoot well and are confident about. What that means is that if you don't already have one that meets those criteria you need to practice a lot with whatever one you pick.

In my opinion, a .44 caliber pistol is the minimum requirement. Some people report having been successful with .36 cal guns but that would seem to me to be because of nearly perfect shot placement, not often an option while hunting.

With that in mind, think about what .44's can handle a heavy load? Handle in this context is defined as delivering the bullet accurately. A .44 that is at it's top limit at 40 gr is not likely to be accurate at that load, so a very short range would be necessary for that pistol. One that can reliably deliver a 40 gr charge to point of aim could be used at a longer range.

Is 40 gr under a .44 cal bullet enough? Yes, with the caveat that the range is less than 50 yards and the bullet strikes a vital organ (shot placement again). 50 gr is much better, giving you some margin.

A Colt Walker can deliver the 50 gr charge with accuracy. It will achieve velocities and energies comparable to modern magnum pistol bullets. A Colt Dragoon can approach that also, although 40 to 45 gr is probably about the upper limit. The Ruger Old Army is also a good choice for that combination. I would not expect a Colt 1860 Army or a Remington 1858 New Army to provide the necessary punch for a 50 yard shot; although they can hold 40 gr, they generally need to reduce their loads to about 30 gr for accuracy at that range.

That's the range of revolvers I'd consider personally. I'd also consider strongly a .50 cal single shot Kentucky or Plains type pistol; they are also capable of accurate 50 gr loads. Percussion is preferred over flint, of course, because of the delay time between flash and detonation, but one can certainly tune a flintlock to reduce that to a very short time. And it would certainly be a coup to take a whitetail with a hand flinter.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

haven't shot deer with BP revolver but have taken wild hog. one small one with a '58 Rem 'Buffalo' model and a large sow with my ROA, used slugs and max charges. In N.C. you must have .38 or larger bore and 6" barrel or longer to hunt w/handgun (big game) shot placement is key as Mykeal says. I won't take another running shot on a boar past about 50 feet I had to track the sow (in partial snow) aways, shot it little too far back.

 

[skeet]

I would suggest a percussion 50 caliber Lymans. I have one and they are very accurate and deliver enough punch to kill a deer at 35 yards or less.
Here in Illinois, we can only use them in our 3rd season (why not the first 2 seasons, I have no clue). I carried one for a backup last year for the first time, but never got a chance to use it. My 1858 Enfield made sure of that!

 

[LRB]

Any of the 44 revolvers will do the job, but I would keep the range under 35 yrds. Friend of mine shot clean through a nice buck with a 44 60 army, at maybe 20 yrds.

 

[oldwolf]

The NC game commission told me that BP handguns are not allowed for hunting large game, period.

They did say I could take small game with a BP HG though.

What do you know that I don't?

 

[mykeal]

There are different regulations in different states. He may not be hunting whitetails in NC.

 

[buttonbuck]

with the illinois law you have to have published balistic tables from the manufacturer to back up your choice of firearm. Here you can use single shot ML pistols that have 500 ft lb of muzzle energy and are 50 cal or better. When I called LYMAN about he plains pistol in 54 they said 45 grains of powder would do it. I hope to use my 54 plains pistol on a 25 yard or less shot on an antlerless deer. I am getting the lyman BP handbook vol 2 to study up on loads.

 

[torn moc]

Mtm Man..check yer state regs first....Here in WEST BY GOD VIRGINIA our our lovely Law makers have decided that our only restriction is that the pistol must must be single shot and at least .45 caliber......and I suppose each state has differnt laws........
is that why we are called " United" STATES OF AMERICA?

 

[54ball]

A fine pistol that would do the job is a Jim Chambers Kentucky in .54. These have 12" swamped barrels and are the nicest pistols Ive seen. They are offered in kit form. A.54 Lyman GP is a consideration. These single shots should not be loaded like a rifle. The pistol may take it but can You? :shocked2: IMHO only one revolver should be considered, the Colt Walker. Restrict your shots to less than bow range.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

The Colt Walker by Uberti will do the job. I have one of these as well as a 3rd Model Colt Dragoon, which I would consider as the smallest gun to cleanly harvest deer with. Use 50 grains in the Walker as mykeel said and 45 grains in the Dragoon.

If you don't already have one, save the handgun hunting for NEXT season, after you've shot 2-3 boxes of balls through the revolver so that you'll know exactly where the shot is going before you shoot. Most folks that buy a revolver for the first time don't realize that they are all sighted in for 50-75 yards as a horse pistol, which means that you have to aim at least 6" lower than where you want the round to strike at 25 yards distance! Or you need to work on the front sight or file the small groove in the hammer that you sight through (while at the range so that you can see the results and stop when you did enough). This will take time as well as experience.

Now IF you already own very accurate pistols and are a pistolero or shootist and can hit a coffee can at 50 yards with a handgun, then you won't need as much practice as I've suggested, but you'll still have to use experience on where the POA vs. POI really is.

Although I've never hunted with a handgun YET, I have hit a torso sized gong at 135 yards with the Walker. Practice is what did it, and muscle memory and a good guess based upon hundreds of shots taken with the wheelgun. May you do well in your efforts and produce a clean kill. Please let us know how you do!

Happy Thanks Giving!

Dave

 

[Shifty]

Interesting topic as I am just finishing a 50cal. pistol with a 16" barrel not a kit gun, barrel and lock salvedged from and old CVA rifle 1-48 twist ,maybe 50grn. max load or more like 40 grn what do you think? Shooting a prb.

 

[Protrucker]

If you don't already have one, save the handgun hunting for NEXT season, after you've shot 2-3 boxes of balls through the revolver so that you'll know exactly where the shot is going before you shoot. Most folks that buy a revolver for the first time don't realize that they are all sighted in for 50-75 yards as a horse pistol, which means that you have to aim at least 6" lower than where you want the round to strike at 25 yards distance! Or you need to work on the front sight or file the small groove in the hammer that you sight through (while at the range so that you can see the results and stop when you did enough). This will take time as well as experience.

Now IF you already own very accurate pistols and are a pistolero or shootist and can hit a coffee can at 50 yards with a handgun, then you won't need as much practice as I've suggested, but you'll still have to use experience on where the POA vs. POI really is.
Dave

Smokin,
I've never really considered myself to be a pistolero or shootist, but I have taken several bucks with a scoped single shot centerfire pistol & one buck at a little over 50 yards with an open sighted revolver. I was not thinking about getting something to hunt with this year & I do realize that I would need to do some practice before attempting to take a deer with one. A single shot flintlock is the way that I'm leaning, since I really like shooting flintlock rifles.

Mtm Man..check yer state regs first....Here in WEST BY GOD VIRGINIA our our lovely Law makers have decided that our only restriction is that the pistol must must be single shot and at least .45 caliber......and I suppose each state has differnt laws........
is that why we are called " United" STATES OF AMERICA?

Scalper,
NY is funny......if you hunt with a B/P hand gun during the muzzleloader season it has to be a single shot, but you can use a revolver during the regular gun season. The minimum caliber for deer during the muzzleloader season is .45, but not stated for regular season.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

You'll want the single shot due to NY laws. You've already taken deer with a handgun...you're to be considered a very good shot at minimum and are probably a shootist in training at this point!

I would recommend a .50 cal with a nice thick stock that can handle 40-50 grains of 3Fg. A .490 PRB with a .010 pre-lubed patch would be a good start. I know someone in our local BP League that's always in the top three finishers that uses this .50 cal PRB combo.

You could try experimenting with a .50 Maxi-Ball as well. A follow-up shot (IF needed) with a Maxi would be easier to load and save lots of time. Try the 320 grain size and HOLD ON cause it's going to let you know that it went off!

Have a fine evening, shootist to be!

Dave

 

[Blizzard of '93]

it's been some years since I read the regs. book, I know it previously stated that a BP handgun could not be carried when deer hunting with a BP long gun (doesn't make sense to me, you could carry as many long guns as you could pack!), but to my knowledge there is no prohibition against using them in gun season, just as there is no prohibition on using BP long guns then. (as long as they are caliber-sufficent, since the .22LR cartridge is allowed now I'm thinking the minimum for BP is .38 but not sure) at any rate I took the hogs on Nature Conservancy land as a pest eradication program, they were tearing up rare and endangered flora. my home is near the S. Carolina line, feral/wild hogs are considered pest species there, take 'em with spears and/or clubs if you wish - they want 'em gone. open season year round.

 

[Tinker2]

The NC game commission told me that BP handguns are not allowed for hunting large game, period.

GF&P told me the same thing, I live in the Dakotas,
but if I put a shoulder stock on it then I can.


Tinker2

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I forgot to mention that the prohibition on BP pistols is during the muzzleloader season, this doesn't make any sense to me since a hunter could load a cart stacked full with long guns and haul 'em into the woods! during regular gun season if there is a nix on carrying BP pistols I can't find in the regs, the only thing I find is .38 caliber or over and 6" or over barrel length. considering the '58 Rem w/max charge of powder and a slug is well into .357 energy levels, and the N.C. F&G allow .22LR for deer then it must be kosher. I can't find otherwise.

 

[prowler]

For a hunting pistol, IMHO there is nothing better than the Ruger Old Army. While the ROA is not historically correct, for hunting, I just don't care. They are accurate, powerful, and completely dependable. They can be loaded way down for plinking and competition and loaded to the max for hunting. I have only used round balls, no conicals, and have never lost a deer. In most cases, they don't travel over 30 yards with a good hit. :thumbsup:

 

[Blizzard of '93]

shot placement is key to success with any gun. I agree the ROA is a fine revolver I own one in addition to my '58 Rem 'Buffalo' Pietta. they hold nearly the same charge powder. I shoot conicals in both. haven't taken a deer yet w/either one but get 2 hogs. some here say they have taken deer, I don't doubt as I shot my '58 thru a jack pine that stopped a .357 hollow point semi-jacket 125 gr.

 

[mykeal]

...I shot my '58 thru a jack pine that stopped a .357 hollow point semi-jacket 125 gr.

How does one cook a jack pine? :hmm: :grin: :v