Asking for one of my buddy's about handgun hunting???

[SHOOTALL]

Super redhawk is a heavy gun and really not needed for deer unless you are going for distance . IMHO and a redhawk totes so much easier    Yes I have both and the 454 is a safe queen . Had I got the redhawk first doubt i would have ever got the 454 .

[mk454]

there's very very manageable loads available to both the handloader and factory loads in the srh 454.  i've got several, and have the redhawk 4"in 45 colt.  also a couple 629's in 44 mag of various persuasions.  the 454 is not a much heavier recoiler with most loads as it's a heavier gun.  there's several pretty mild loads available including winchester's 250 grain load which is very very mild and in the same league as an average 44 mag load.  throw in the 45 colt loads you could shoot out of it and i'm not sure how you could justify not getting that pistol.  the loads in the 454 of about 12-15 years ago when corbon and hornady ran the 240's over 2000fps, and i have an old corbon box that says 2100 on it were the heavy along with double taps 400 grain loads.  buffalo bore 325 and 360's are fairly mild as well.  you can cover all territory with this pistol.  hornady's loads are still stiff recoilers, if you shoot the winchester 250's and/or handload some 300 grain hardcasts at about 1200-1400 fps you'll wonder what all the fuss is about and be glad you bought the 454.

[SHOOTALL]

Shooting the 454 is not bad toting it is the pain ! Its always a first gun not a belt gun when rifle hunting unless its a 4 inch bbl gun. At least it is to me.

[eclarsen]

Your buddy may be one of the guys that had to have a 454 Casull when they first came out and there was a bunch of used Casull's in the same shops a month or two later.

It seemed like a neat gun to have for me as well until I shot one belonging to a friend of mine.  We went to an indoor range, he pulled out his Freedom Arms 454 and told me to fire away.  I loaded it up and regretted it.  Fired one round and had the rest of the cylinder to go.  That was a long time to fire those rounds.

Another friend and I often commented that he offered the Casull to other's to shoot, but we didn't recall him shooting anything other than 45 Colt in it.

If I were you, I'd do as already suggested.  Get him started shooting with a .22, then a 357 mag w/ 38spl, then 357mag light, then 357 stout.  If he is still interested in moving up let him shoot 44spl, then 44 mag.  I'll bet he'll be satisfied w/ the 44mag and a keeper and not want to lay out the cash for the Casull or the 500.

After shooting 454 Casull rounds, my curiosity is satisfied and the urge to own one is long gone.

[1911crazy]

They say bigger is better but it comes with more recoil too. I wanted something bigger than my 06 once too, i got the 338win mag.  Now i like bear hunting with it don't get me wrong.  But when i take it out after a long time not shooting it to check the scopes zero i say to myself why did i buy this cannon after pulling the trigger.  But its a great rifle.  When were younger we all like the more powerful stuff its when we get older we can feel our mistakes much better.  I'm still happy with it but.....

A while back my buddy wanted a S&W 500 revolver so i took him shooting with stout regular 44mag loads with my 5 1/2" / 7 1/2" barreled redhawks and i think i scared him.  To me the 357mag, 41mag and the 44mag still have some decent recoil even though there are bigger calibers out there right now.  His tuned changed very quickly about the 500 S&W.  I think he is now heaed for a ruger blackhawk SA hunter model in 44mag.  We can down load it or up load it to suit his needs.  I still think the 454casull/45colt would be better.  Then he can hunt smaller game with the 45lc and up to bear size game with the 454casull.  I know he is going to need lots of practice and catching up because he is new to handguns but i'm sure he will do well. Like most have said here its time to get a 22cal pistol and plink and plink more till he moves up to the magnums.   Right now slow is good.  I'm kind of glad i showed him what the 44mag is because if he went and purchased the 500 S&W it would be for sale really quickly too.  He moves really slow too.  I told him about the used single action with the screws comming loose too. He needs to inspect the used SA's really close for wear in the screw holes too.  It depends on how much it has been shot/used with stout loads too and how long it was shot with loose screws too. Its his choice now and his wallet.  I passed on all the info here and thanks guys.              CZY

[Fire Fox]

My dad hunted with a pistol most of his life and had a ruger 44 mag since it came out. He bought me one ( a 6.5 in 3 screw blackhawk and I dispatched a Black bear in the Florida Everglades at the age of 13 and another one at the age of 16. The load he used for me was a molded cast  HP original Keith bullet that weighed 235 gr after HP over 17 gr of H240 powder ( Similar to H2400). Before anyone wonders about this they need to know that Black Bear were legal that long ago and the law enforcement was a lot different then ( since I am now almost 61). This is a good starting load and you have enough power to be effective on most game you would encounter. I used this load for a lot of years for hog and deer with great results. I still use this bullet but have now increased it to 21 gr of H2400 with great accuracy and power. Hope this helps

[mk454]

i started my oldest son out with a 44 mag and he moved up to a 454 and since that time i've started every kiddo i got out on a 454 when they wanted to handgun hunt.  you do not need to reload to get the benefit.  there are several loads that are nothing more than moderate 44 mag loads and they are readily available online and at most gunshops around us.  winchester has a 250 gr load at 1350 fps.  corbon has a light 240 gr load.  hunting shack bear loads are 325 gr hardcast in the 1300 fps range and these are not bad kickers and are far more comfortable than the equivalent 44 mag loads in a single action or SW 29 due to the grips that come on the 454 SRH now.  i'm convinced ruger didn't really put together a good set of grips when it first came out. 
there's magtech loads which are pretty mild as well, then of course, you have all the 45 colt loads from standard pressure cowboy loads up to hotter 45 colt rounds that are running around 1000fps to 1300 fps.  but then you also get a gun that is capable of handily killing anything that walks if ya step the power level up. 

[tacklebury]

I'd definitely go 454/45 lc.  I love the NMB with the 45LC and .45 ACP cylinder also.  I don't personally like the large size of the Super.  I like the 5.5" blackhawk as it does all you need for handgun ranges that I choose to shoot at.  For me if it's over 70 yards, I take the carbine or rifle off my shoulder and shoot it.  hehe  Having the ability to shoot cheaper and readily available .45 acp is nice for learning and cheaper to reload for too. 

[Lloyd Smale]

some good advice here. I agree with skipping the 357. It may kill deer in the hands of an expert but its not the way to go if your buying a gun specificaly for hunting. the 44 mag is king of the hill in my opinion for deer hunting. Its powerful enough for 100 yard clean kills with the right load and its recoil is manageable for most shooters. the 45 colt/454 isnt bad either but demands handloading to get the 45 up to power levels needed or the 454 down to levels shootable by most.
 
I also agree it takes ALOT of practice to be really proficient enough to be an ethical handgun hunter. Probably much more practice then most can afford shooting factory 44s so a year or so with a 22 is a good starter. Get your trigger control down then step up to a 44 and slowly work your way up from 44 special levels to at least mid range 44 mag levels. When you get to a level thats powerful enough then shoot maybe a couple thousand of them in field positions then your probably going to be ready to hunt with a handgun.
 
Ive seen way to many guys walk into a gunshop and buy a 44 mag or worse yet a 454 or 500 and a couple boxes of ammo and figure there ready for the woods. You might get away with it if a deer jumps out at 25 yards but even then i wouldnt bet a nickle on your results. Handgun hunting is in my opinion no differnt then bow hunting. It takes dedicated practice and alot of it! If your not willing to put in the time keep the handgun for rolling beer cans and take your rifle hunting.

[anachronism]

Just because the guns capable of shooting well at 100 yards doesn't mean the shooters capable of steering it to the limits of it's performance. I think the 44 magnum would be ideal for this project, except your friend is going to have to learn how to shoot it well. You mentioned that he's not really experienced with handguns, and only he can correct this. I'm going to (also) suggest a 44 mag Super Redhawk. The Super is actually a few ounces lighter than the std Redhawk, but the utility of being able scope it easily, or remove the scope & shoot iron sights if wanted/needed can't be ignored. The 44s recoil will be bothersome at first, and will require a goodly amount of shooting for your friend to gain comfort & familiarity with the revolver. Good 44 mag ammo is cheaper than 454 ammo, and more plentiful in many areas. Start him with mid range loads and work him up over a period of months to the full powered stuff. This requires dedication on his part, but whatever he chooses, he's going to have to put forth the effort to make it work. 44 mag is a sensible minimum for what you've outlined.

[goofyoldfart]

OK, I'll throw my .02cents in also. I have a Ruger RedHawk in 45long colt 5 1/2 inch barrel. I've been shooting and handloading for 62 yrs. (started a 5 with my next door neighbor on a 22) and have been shooting large caliber handguns for about 42 yrs.
 I, for one, prefer the large frame 45's, though I also love the 22's and 38's. I would follow the crowd and suggest that he purchase a 22 first and pop the cap on AT LEAST 2-3 K of ammo. During this time you might let him shoot some low level 357's or 44 spl's just to get used to them. But concentrate on marksmanship with the 22. Then when he is ready, get a 454/45lc. That one can be loaded from Timberdoodles to T-Rexs'. Stress to him the pain to the animal when wounded and escaping to die a slow death and it wouldn't be unthinkable to be graphic! ETHICS, ETHICS and more ETHICS. Just my 2cents.  God Bless to all.

              Goofyoldfart    ( AKA goofy, GOF and Godfrey)

[Olav]

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z48/OlavM_2007/2007_1025casul4540003.jpg
 
Both of these are good for hunting up to 100yds..
I have sold the Smith beacause punishment from 300gr bullets in 1250f/s will be hard for the gun in the long run.
I love my Ruger in 454,well made and very accurate, and I think it`s impossible to wear it out. 300gr bullets in 1300f/s
is a joy to shoot, and with a scope ontop the recoil is nothing to bother about.
My targetloads with the Lee 300gr bullet is around 950f/s, loaded in .45 LC . Good accuracy and wery mild recoil.
This gun is a keeper