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Looking for info on pistol for whitetail hunting

Ruger Super Black Hawk Hunter, SS 7.5 inch barrel. Love the milled in barrel scope mounts & rings. I have a Leupold 4X, dead on at 50 yards, and I have tested taking the scope off, using irons, place back on and keep zero at 50 yard, love the scope/ring system.
Handloaded with 240 grain Hornady XTP and 23.5 - 24.0 grains Hodgon H110.
Can't hunt this year but I look forward to next year having it out with me for firearm season.
 
So my local BX has a S&W .460 PC XVR with the 10.5" barrel for right around $1400. Gonna be honest and say that it is overkill for me. I shoot small deer (sika in MD) and I think a .460 might just cut make them "cut in half pretty bad" (
). Looks killer though!!
 
That bottom one isn't .460 is it? Looks too small. (In comparison only)
No that's a performance center .44. In all seriousness, I do enjoy hunting with the 44 more. The problem with going any higher is the need for carrying earmuffs which I can't stand doing. Without saying, firing any firearm is never a good thing without hearing protection, but firing these handguns with over 55000 psi, like the .454, 460, 500, etc is absolutely debilitating. You will have significant hearing loss with even a single shot. The first year I purchased that .460, I took it with me spring turkey hunting as my cousin had spotted a coyote a few times in the area I was hunting and wanted it with me just in case. Sure enough day 1 that yote came into my decoy setup, stopped at 80 yards when he figured something was up. It was now or never so I let one rip with the 460. It was like someone stuck a pen in both my ears it was so brutal. They rang for over a week. Not even my .338-378 Weatherby does that. Never did that again!
 
No that's a performance center .44. In all seriousness, I do enjoy hunting with the 44 more. The problem with going any higher is the need for carrying earmuffs which I can't stand doing. Without saying, firing any firearm is never a good thing without hearing protection, but firing these handguns with over 55000 psi, like the .454, 460, 500, etc is absolutely debilitating. You will have significant hearing loss with even a single shot. The first year I purchased that .460, I took it with me spring turkey hunting as my cousin had spotted a coyote a few times in the area I was hunting and wanted it with me just in case. Sure enough day 1 that yote came into my decoy setup, stopped at 80 yards when he figured something was up. It was now or never so I let one rip with the 460. It was like someone stuck a pen in both my ears it was so brutal. They rang for over a week. Not even my .338-378 Weatherby does that. Never did that again!

Hahahahahaha
 
I actually wish I had put a scout scope (ironic, I know) on my CVA Scout. It is hard to shoot it like a conventional pistol due to its barrel weight. It is actually pretty easy to hold steady and shoot like you would a rifle with no stock. However, the pistol scope has almost too much eye relief to do this.

A normal rifle scope will likely have too little eye relief, and the pistol scope has almost too much... That's why I think a scout rifle scope would be just about right.
I have a 4x leupold. There’s enough adjustment on the focus ring to get it down to about the same eye relief as a scout scope. You may try that.
 
No that's a performance center .44. In all seriousness, I do enjoy hunting with the 44 more. The problem with going any higher is the need for carrying earmuffs which I can't stand doing. Without saying, firing any firearm is never a good thing without hearing protection, but firing these handguns with over 55000 psi, like the .454, 460, 500, etc is absolutely debilitating. You will have significant hearing loss with even a single shot. The first year I purchased that .460, I took it with me spring turkey hunting as my cousin had spotted a coyote a few times in the area I was hunting and wanted it with me just in case. Sure enough day 1 that yote came into my decoy setup, stopped at 80 yards when he figured something was up. It was now or never so I let one rip with the 460. It was like someone stuck a pen in both my ears it was so brutal. They rang for over a week. Not even my .338-378 Weatherby does that. Never did that again!

That 44 is sweet! I have the 460 and wouldn’t think of firing it without plugs and muffs.


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I killed my first deer with a Ruger Super Redhawk .44 9.5” barrel. I broke my arm playing football in the 8th grade and when I came out of surgery mom asked me if there was anything I needed. I said, a pistol to deer hunt with! They got me one and it did the job on my first deer.


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Try to shoot before you buy if possible. The looks, feel, or cool name can mislead us. Find something that you can hit everything with.
 
7.5" Super Red Hawk in .44 mag. I have a Leopold 2x20 on it. Barrel ported and some trigger work done. My favorite hunting weapon and great out of a saddle. Best kill was a big, old doe at 107 yards. Tipped right over. Thinking about upgrading the scope. My only issue is the fixed 2x20 does not gather light very well which makes it hard to see during the fading light of day.
I have the Super Redhawk .44 mag also and I went back to the iron sights on mine as I seldom need to shoot over 65 yards and like the sight picture a lot better.
 
Try to shoot before you buy if possible. The looks, feel, or cool name can mislead us. Find something that you can hit everything with.
Another thing to consider before buying is the availability of ammunition. I was trying to avoid buying a .44 as it seemed like overkill and I was looking real hard at a .41mag Ruger. I asked the salesman if they stocked .41mag ammo and how often they get it in and he said they hadn't seen any in months. And this was years ago, long before our current shortages. So I went with the .44.
 
41 mag is probably a better option for reloaders than factory. I had one in a Contender, it was a nice round.
 
I have a bisley hunter in 41 mag. I often wish I had chose 44 mag instead. Hand loading evens the playing field but there are a lot more 44 components to choose from. As far as the current ammo situation you’re lucky to find any. Heck I had to order .308 online and still couldn’t get my preferred load.
 
I have used my Ruger 44s both Blackhawk Hunters and Redhawk to take deer. Both work great and will handle any load you feed them. All comes down to personal preference of SA or DA. I find I prefer the grip on most double actions more.
I also have a GP100 in .357 that has taken several deer as well. A good option if you dont have the trigger time to shoot a .44 reliably from field positions.
For autos my favorite round is 10mm hands down. I have killed several deer with it and find it a great option. There are several 1911s that chamber it if you like the platform. There is also the Glocks for the utilitarian in all of us. Sig makes a 220 that is nice. My personal favorite for hunting though is a EAA 6"Witness Hunter. It's an CZ75 clone on steroids. I love the ergonomics of the pistol and she shoots great with both my hand loads and factory ammo. In fact I'm in my treestand right now wearing her waiting for some venison to come by.
 
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