I hunt in Indiana with a handgun. I have used a 454 and 44 mag. For the practical distance one would shoot with a straight wall handgun cartridge, either is fine. Either a 454 or 44 mag will take a deer cleanly out to 100-150 yards providing you can shoot that well. On my range, I can shoot to 300 yards. I find that shots over 100 yards with the 44 mag are tricky while shots out to 150 with the 454 are ok with its flatter tragejtory. Last year, my son in law took a doe at 75 yards with a 44 mag 240 gr loaded to
1150 fps. Clean angled chest shot with one shot kill and 13" penetration (exited the body so no bullet recovery was possible}. I have taken whitetail out to 125 yards with a contender in 357 max, 10" barrel, 158 gr JHP with out any problems. Shots beyond these ranges in the mentioned calibers are not responsible shots for me to take. On the other hand, I have taken whitetail out to 265 yards with my scoped 6.5mm bullberry improved with one shot kills. Make sure you know your gun, loads, and trajectories. PS don't forget the wind on longer shots. Good shooting and good hunting!