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Author Topic: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?  (Read 2397 times)

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Offline Bowhunter57

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What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« on: June 19, 2010, 05:24:09 PM »
I'm asking about 4" barrels or shorter, for hunting of any type of game.

What's the shortest barreled handgun, that you've used for hunting?

Thank you, Bowhunter57
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Offline Bitterroot Bob

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #1 on: June 19, 2010, 05:50:27 PM »
On purpose?
Indiana requires at least 4". I've carried a 5-1/2" .45 revolver, but seriously hunted with 14" Contenders, 6-1/2" .41 Magnum, and 7-1/2" .44 Magnum. I'll take all the sight radius that I can get.

Bitterroot
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Offline Bowhunter57

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #2 on: June 19, 2010, 06:27:52 PM »
Quote from: Bitterroot Bob
On purpose?
Indiana requires at least 4".
Bitterroot Bob,
Yes, on purpose...but I understand that there's a minimum barrel length for large game hunting. So, I'm refering to game species other than large game. :)

Ohio requires a 5" minimum barrel length and a .357" caliber minimum, for whitetails. Any other variety of barrel lengths and calibers can be used on all other game animals.

Good hunting, Bowhunter57
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Offline nickE10mm

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2010, 07:09:23 PM »

I regularly use my 5" 10mm Razorback to hunt deer (usually from my climber) ... but I'll have myself a 6" longslide soon which will be way better.  Also hunt with a 6" .44 mag.  I would suspect that a 4" wheelgun would be the shortest I'd hunt with but its all about the hunter and his ability to limit himself on shot distance.

Good luck!
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Offline Mikey

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #4 on: June 20, 2010, 02:41:26 AM »
There are two revolvers I hunt with that meet that criterion:  the first is a S&W M29 with a 4" bbl and the other is a M27/28 with a 3.5" bbl.  Both take whitetail cleanly.  The 44 prefers 295-300 gn Keith style swc slugs at around 1100'/sec and the 357 prefers the 200 gn Keith style sec at around 1300'/sec.  Both loads provide complete pass through on chest shots to 50-60 yds (as that is the furthest distance I have shot with either of those two revolvers and open sights. 
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Offline shot1

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #5 on: June 20, 2010, 03:53:03 AM »
I used to use a 5" barrel in a 1911A1 Colt 45 ACP with 200 gr  lead SWC driven to about 1000 fps with Unique for deer. Out to around 50 yards it will put a 45 cal hole clean through the boiler room = dead deer. I have hunted down some wounded deer that people have shot poorly with a rifle or have been hit with a car and run off hurt with a Kel teck 2 1/2 or 3" barrel 32 ACP and also a 380 ACP and killed them with point blank head shots. The 380 ACP does much better than the 32 ACP.
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Offline Blackhawk44

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #6 on: June 20, 2010, 07:15:47 PM »
Wore a 4" M29 for many years and tagged everything from deer on down.  These days, normally carry a 4.6 inch in either a custom SBH or three screw BH .44 Special.  Five years ago, I did bag a feral goat with 3" Colt Sheriff's model .44WCF.  Except to the pistol range, I quit carrying longer barrels years ago.
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Offline Lloyd Smale

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #7 on: June 21, 2010, 03:18:32 AM »
ive hunted with 3 and 4 inch smiths and my two 4 inch 500 linebaughs and my clements 4 inch 3 screw 44 special. Personaly i rarely hunt with a handgun with a barrel longer then 4 5/8s and only own one handgun with a barrel longer then 5.5 other then tcs. Killed animals as small as squirels and as big as a 1200 lb bison with 4 inch guns. Many deer and bear and pigs.
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Offline Daman

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #8 on: June 22, 2010, 05:45:16 PM »
I hunt mainly with my 6.5" Single Six for squirrels, but I also tote a couple 4" 357's of different brands. I don't think I would use anything other than 4" or greater.

Daman
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Offline Rodent

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #9 on: June 23, 2010, 02:33:18 AM »
4 inches or shorter?  Actual hunting? ....Never.
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Offline Justin10mm

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #10 on: June 25, 2010, 06:00:33 PM »
A 4.6 inch 10mm Glock 20, everything from squirrels to a 175 pound hog and a large Axis deer.

The new 3 inch S&W 327 mag. interests me as a trail gun for small game and varmints. 
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Offline Bigeasy

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #11 on: June 25, 2010, 09:29:48 PM »
Used to have a Colt Mustang .380 with a 3 inch barrel.  I had a set of adjustable sights installed, an action / feeding job, and had it polished and re-blued.  That was a neat little small game gun.  I handloaded 95 grain hard lead semi-wadcutters that hit hard.  Sort of like a mini Gold Cup.  It was a neat "walk in the woods gun".  Another gun I shouldn't have sold.

Larry
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Offline Sweetwater

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #12 on: June 25, 2010, 11:02:12 PM »
Back along, there was this nickel-plated S&W Model 13 357mag and 3" heavy barrel. It was my CCW and I practiced on the prairie dogs of Sweetwater County, Wyoming to keep up my touch with it. It Done Good.
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Offline S.B.

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #13 on: July 26, 2010, 09:17:12 AM »
3 & 1/2" model 27.
Steve
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Offline curteric

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #14 on: July 26, 2010, 12:25:00 PM »
4" on a DW 357 Super Mag, backing up hunters over bear bait, otherwise 6", same frame. Always 240 gr hard cast gc.
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Offline SHOOTALL

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #15 on: July 26, 2010, 12:27:54 PM »
1 7/8" on a S&W J frame finished off a couple deer ! I was hunting and used it  ;D
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Offline 223fan

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #16 on: July 26, 2010, 12:34:05 PM »
My one and only handgun deer kill was with a 4 5/8" 357 magnum Blackhawk,seemed to work well enough.
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Offline Larry Gibson

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #17 on: July 27, 2010, 09:07:24 AM »
Likewise a 1 7/8" barrel S&W Chief's Special  (Billy Martin Special......because you can "fire" it 5 times ;) ) used to shoot a bajillion sqirrels and quite a few rabbits with using target WC load.  I also have used a 3" M31 S&W .32L on squirrels and rabbits.  For bigger game the shortest is a 4" barrel in several handguns of .38, .357, .41. and .44 calibers.  In .45 caliber it is a 4 1/2" barrel.

However, I prefer 6" to 7 1/2" barrels for hunting on revolvers and 10" barrels on the Contender.

Larry Gibson
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Offline tguil

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #18 on: July 27, 2010, 04:56:24 PM »
 2 3/4 inch Ruger Speed Six .357 mag....on days when I don't feel like carrying my 6 inch GP100 of my 7 1/2 inch Redhawk.
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Offline saddlebum

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #19 on: July 28, 2010, 02:15:33 AM »
4" M-57 on a Mule Deer

3" M-60 (.38spl) on small game
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Offline Sverre A.

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #20 on: July 29, 2010, 01:03:35 PM »
S&W 44, 4".

Animalsize: 40 - 500 lbs
Distance: 15 - 70 yds
Sights: Doctersight
Bullet: 300 gr Mimek

The bullet penetrated every time.
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Offline tc scout

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #21 on: July 29, 2010, 04:20:06 PM »
686 2 1/2" barrel
158 Gr XTP
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Offline dan3

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #22 on: August 01, 2010, 09:05:07 AM »
Shortest : 4" barrel - S & W M29 .44mag, M28 .357mag, and M19 .357mag.

Used on rabbits, hogs, and deer.
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Offline jebb45

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #23 on: August 11, 2010, 06:58:01 PM »
I carry a custom SBH 44 Mag with a 3 3/4 inch barrel wtih rifle sights,still works for my needs.
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Offline countryrebel

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Re: What's the shortest barrel you've used for hunting?
« Reply #24 on: August 17, 2010, 07:46:19 PM »
4" 44mag Redhawk and 4" 357mag GP100, took both hunting for deer.
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