Real Handguns ?

[WildBill]

I just last year purchased a 454 Raging Bull ,to replace my 35 Rem Contender. The reason being it really didn't feel like I was really handgun hunting when I used the Contender,besides I realy had a tough time shooting it offhand. But over a rest it was like shooting a rifle more than a pistol. I still have the 35 but plan to use the 454 more,does anyone else feel the same way or am I NUTS? :shock:

[handgunhuntr]

You are definately NUTS !!!  Just kidding, although I do feel that the Contenders and Encores are the most versitile and acurate systems around.  There is nothing wrong with the 35 Rem and it doesnt beat you to death like the 454.  As long as you are holding a handgun grip, and a barrel of around 14 inches, reguardless of caliber, its still a handgun.  Don't believe me?  Put a 14 inch 44 mag on that frame and see what I mean  This is just my opinion..  Enjoy your time with your choice and practice, practice, practice.

[Questor]

You're not nuts.  I feel the same way about my 14" contender.  I may as well carry a rifle.

[Mikey]

WildBill:  I'm with you and Questor on this one.  My brother showed up with a new Encore in 308 when they first came out and used it in an area in upstate NY limited to shotguns and handguns.  He said it was legal as it was considered a handgun but dang it, it sure wasn't the same to me.  

I know this is liable to open up a can of worms and I have no intention of insulting anyone but I would limit myself to an 8" bbl when I hunt with a handgun only.  I've shot enough silly-wet and have handled a few of the earlier Contenders and Whitchitas and the like but my preference is for something with a cylinder and more than one shot.  I figure that if I'm going to miss, it will happen more than once and rather than to give someone a giggle, let them have a good laugh.  

Seriously, if it doesn't have a grip like a S&W and a nice smooth action with an easy trigger break, I wouldn't prefer it.  Mikey.

[Paul H]

Nope, your not nuts.  I had a contender, and played with nearly a dozen different barrels off the bench, but then came to the realization that I never took the contender hunting, and really couldn't see myself taking it hunting in the neer future.  So, I sold all my contender stuff, and just use the 480 SRH for my huting handgun.  I even sold the scope, so that I'd force myself to practice with the irons.  I now find that I can drop 8" steel plates at 50 yds shooting offhand.

[1GLOCK]

I feel the same way, after shooting a few contenders and revolvers I decided on the Ruger SBH Hunter model. As you said, the contenders just felt like I was shooting a rifle. I still may get a contender in a 22-250 just for a fun little varmit gun.

[Graybeard]

Tried an Encore. Decided that was WAY too much for me to enjoy. Went back to Contenders. BUT for the past 3-4 years more and more often I've been asking myself this question: "Am I REALLY handgun hunting when using these things?"

I keep coming up with the answer: "well maybe but it sure ain't like the revolver ya used to always use."

So I've sold off all of my Contender frames but one. Sold all my barrels but four (kept the two 10" Herretts, the 14" .257 JDJ and at least for now my 14" 7-30.

I'm moving back to revolvers and iron sights for my handgun hunting. Maybe not ALWAYS but most of the time. Now I do like long barrels. Love them in fact. My all time favorite until I sold it was my old S&W 29 with the 10-5/8" barrel. That's it I'm holding in my avatar. Now Taurus is tooling up to produce a 12" Model 44. I think I'd like a 10" a wee bit better but what the heck, that's only 1-3/8" longer and only weights 4 oz. more than that S&W 29 I carried for years in many states when I was handgun hunting. If I went it went with me for years. Then I got back into the TCs and now I'm nearly back out of them and back to revolvers. Will I have one of the Taurus 12" .44s?   :oh:  :yeah:  Count on it. It will likely become my primarly hunting gun when I manage to get my hands on it. They are also coming out with the Ti Tracker in .45 Colt with a 6" barrel which I plan to own. I think I'd rather it be a .44 Special tho as I really love that Lyman 429244 bullet I cast.


So bottom line. Nope I don't think you're crazy. I'm feeling the same and have been now for several years more and more until I finally decided to do something about it earlier this year.

GB

[Bullseye]

Understand what you are saying, don't think you are crazy.  I shoot Contenders, but what I deer hunt with is standard pistol calibers in 10" barrels.  Guess that is why I do not feel like I am shooting a rifle since it is about the same as a revolver but only has one shot.  I do have some revolvers also and love to shoot them and have been thinking about hunting with one this year.

Have fun with what you like! :grin:

[340wby]

your right on the money! now I may get run out of here but ...
HAND GUNS
are designed to be fired from either hand  and  be comfortably carried in a hip or shoulder holster, guns that can,t be easilly and almost effortlessly carried, fired  with one hand or can,t rapidly fire at least 5 shots are NOT at least in my opinion true HAND GUNS
 my 10" barrel 445 super mag is just about as large and heavy as you can get and still BARELY fit into the HAND GUN catagory
 guns with bolt actions, falling blocks, and break actions are stockless rifles with custom short barrels. if you can,t draw and fire five shots minimum  before reloading from your HAND GUN your not HAND GUN HUNTING

[TScottO]

Everyone has their own idea of what type of gun qualifies as a handgun for handgun hunting. Some one on this forum stated once, ‘any gun that requires a sling for comfortable carry isn’t a handgun’. This makes sense to me. To me a hunting handgun is a gun designed around a straight walled pistol cartridge. It should be packable with a moderate length or short barrel and be able to be holstered on your hip and be handy. My only hang up is to scope or not to scope. Over the last year or so I’m beginning to feel like pistol scopes detract from “true” handgun hunting unless they are used to make up for poor vision.

Nope… I don’t think you’re nuts I think you’re coming around!!! :eek:

Regardless of what some ones definition of a hunting handgun really is I’m glad they are gun owners and sportsmen exercising their god given right.

Good luck and be safe,
Scott

[KING]

  Never liked the single shot "handguns" and never felt flet that they were anything more than a short rifle.  I have always used the revolver in .357,.44.454C and a .45LC.(once in awhile a 10mmGlock)  Like the above gentleman said......if it requires a sling......it aint a handgun...stay safe......King

[v-man]

I don't think you're nuts unless I'm in the same boat. After getting hooked on y SRH .454 I don't see any reason to hunt with my TCC 35 Rem. I even decided to sell it and the 3 barrels casue it just sits around unused. It's a great gun but no longer my preference when heading to the woods.

[kciH]

Wildbill,
you're right on the money. Don't get me wrong, when using a single shot, or bolt action, pistol at rifle ranges you're showing a level of skill few riflemen attain, even fewer SSP shooters.  My Contender is now a carbine, my Encore is a muzzleloader, and my Cylinder & Slide tuned .45 LC Bisley is my hunting handgun.  Of course the .41 Blackhawk Hunter is gaining ground, and the original .41 Bisley is also a favorite.  I still shoot my Contender in 357 Max at steel and my .284 Winchester XP-100 is a favorite toy, but for HANDGUN hunting, I'll take a revolver.  For deer and antelope, you don't need anything bigger than a .41 or .44, no .454,.480,.475,.45LC+P+ required, but they sure are fun!

[Dan Chamberlain]

Man, all those contenders and super contenders and those .454s and .480s and such.  Whatever happened to the good old .44 maggie?  My hunting handgun is an old Ruger Flattop .44...that is, when I'm not hunting with a Ruger .22 pistol for squirrels and rabbits.  No scope, no sling, just my holster, my pistol and me.

Dan C

[Charlie Detroit]

Hey, GB...I didn't know the mod 29 was made up with a 10 3/8" barrel...guess you learn something new every day. Was it special order? The longest that I remember in the catalogue was 8 3/8", which was designed to meet (just barely) the requirements for a sight radius no longer than 10" for competition.

[Charlie Detroit]

Just happened to think of the old Navy (?) Rolling Block Pistol...was that a handgun? I think you'd have to call it that...sort of a transition between the old ML single-shots and cartridge revolvers. Don't remember what caliber they were...

[44 Man]

Ok guys,  I started hunting with a .44 mag SBH, for many years.  It always did everything I asked it to.  Tried a couple of contenders (7x30 Waters and 375 win) and enjoyed them very much.  But I always carried a .44 on my hip.  Now that my eyes don't like open sights as well as they used to, my main hunting gun for the last 10 years has been a Freedom Arms in .44 mag w/scope.  It has been all done up as a Mag-na-port Stalker by Ken Kelly and has become my favorite gun.  My hip gun has dropped down to a Colt SAA in .44 spl or sometimes an old Charter Target in .44 spl.  I still keep the Contenders to train my Grandchildren with.  I want them to know the importance of that first shot.  Good shooting.     44 Man

[TopGun]

I guess if you don't think they're real handguns here in PA, try hunting with one without a permit!!  :oops:  You go to the pokee just as fast as with an unlicensed 5,6, or even 7-shot revolver! :eek:   I guess I'm on the other side of the fence. Contenders and Encores are just more powerful than their roundy cousins. Admittedly, range and accuracy can be extended depending on caliber, but all in all, my Ruger M77RSI in 18 1/2" 308 Mannlicher is much easier to get on target, when it's a jumped buck or when you're breathing heavy. :grin:  Even with the stability of added wt of Encores, they're tough to hold even on deer sneaking thru the woods. I've shot a lot of deer with mine, and I still consider it a challenge.   I'd much rather carry my 4lb 375JDJ for Elk, than a 9lb rifle any day!   IMHO!! :-D  :grin:    :-)

[Gregory]

I guess if you're only really archery hunting if you use a long bow and not a compound bow, and you're only really muzzleloading hunting if you use a flintlock and not an inline, then I could agree with you.

Or how about using a single shot Contender with a 6 inch barrel and open sights?  Then you'd have the challenge of the revolver + the restriction of only one shot.  

I use what is legal as defined by the game laws of the state I'm hunting and not ashamed of it.  To each his own.

[Questor]

Gregory:

I don't think that was the original point, or most of the points following. The problem is the relative bulk of the bigger gun. A muzzle loader or a longbow have the same bulk as their modern counterparts.

[Lone Hunter]

Ruger Redhawk 44 Mag - 7.5 "barrel, 3.3 pounds,over all length - 13"

Raging Bull 454 casull - 6" barrel ,3.3 pounds,over all length - 12"

G-2 Contender 12" barrel,3.5 pounds,over all length 15.5"

Put a 6",8" or 10" barrel on a contender and you have a lighter,more compact handgun.  Because of its closed breach design,it will get more performance out of a given straight walled handgun cartridge.

Just because everyone uses a 14"-16" scoped barrels, and shoots rifle cartridges,does not mean they all have to be set up that way.

[DzrtRat]

I dunno guys.  I've been reading this thread for a few days, and some of it's pretty interesting.

I guess I'm a hunter first, and a shooter second.  In other words, the weapon I use is just something to finalize the hunt and I accept the limitations of whatever it is.

I hunt with centerfire rifles (uh oh!), rimfire rifles, revolvers, semi-auto pistols, muzzleloaders, air rifles, bows, once in a while with a slingshot, and I killed a javalina once with a scoped contender pistol in .223.

The only one I don't plan to use again is a single shot pistol.  Nothing against anyone else using one, I just don't care for the design myself.  To me it feels awkward to aim and just isn't natural in my hands.

Whatever you use, enjoy it and have fun.  To each his own.

~Rat

[Dave2of5]

I guess I'm really confused about this thread. To me a handgun is a handgun. I try not to limit that even though I have my own preferences. What I don't understand is the 'concept' that the Contender is not easily packed. If you take a look at a Revolver that is setup for hunting I believe you will understand my confusion. A revolver with a 7 1/2 or 8 inch barrel is actually larger than the Contender in the 10" configuration - and the Contender is actually easier to carry. Even when compared to 6 and 6 1/2 inch barrels you don't really get any more advantage in weight and portability, especially when you look at the performance degradation just going from a Contender to a revlover. The fact that the single shot gives a greater advantage in accuracy and cartridge capabilities makes me lean to the Contender. Revolvers are great and I love hunting with them. Revolvers also carry a greater advantage in the area of dealing with dangerous game.

Any Contender or Encore is much easier to pack that a rifle - that's testimonial from rifle hunters that I've lent my Super 14's to.

I've never bought into the traditionalist thoughts on any kind of hunting because of the divisions that are caused (ie. Compound vs Longbow; inline vs flintlock/percussion; etc.)

I'll not be one to pick one over the other in the greater general sense - whatever fits for me for the purposed hunt is what I will use. Since most of my hunting rigs (rifle and pistol) are single shots I would probably lean more to the Contender for handgun hunting. Make no mistake, my relvolvers will always be a major consideration for the hunt.

Just my 2 cts.

Dave

[WildBill]

:-) Well I did'nt post my original subject to dump on single shot users. I still own my 35 contender and really think it is a great gun.Thats why I like this forum cuz everyone has there own ideas about lots of subjects ,to me if everyone liked the same gun or same methods of hunting it sure would be a boring world. Shoot straight !

[Old Griz]

Well, IMHO, if it shoots rifle bullets, its a rifle. It may be as long as my old Swedish Mauser, or as short as one of those bolt action hand thingies made by Savage, et al., but it's still a rifle. Unless it has a cylinder and shoots handgun cartridges, it just ain't a handgun. :grin:

[Bug]

I hope it never gets resolved, 'cause it makes for some interesting reading. Myself, I never became a Contender "enthusiast" until I tried the 10" barrels. The Super 14, and 16" barrels were more in the curiosity dept. for me. I had a few, but didn't keep them too long. The 10"ers however, pack well in a hip holster, are reasonably light, and meet my criteria for a handgun, rather than a "pocket rifle". I have two frames, and a modest number of barrels, and will aquire more, as opportunity/funding permits. They have become my favorite weapon for gun hunting.
  Old Griz, no flame intended, just poking fun, but using your definition of a handgun, where does the Desert Eagle fall? Uses handgun ammo, but doesn't have a cylinder. What about the 1911? No cylinder there. Certainly a pistol round. What about rounds like the .357 sig? They meet all the criteria of a bottlenecked rifle round, but are used in handguns, and those without cylinders! Lastly, what about the "combo" rounds like the .44-40, & .32-20? They were certainly rifle cartridges, but were chambered in the SAA, which does have a cylinder.
  I support you all, a gun owners, shooters, and hunters. If your tastes differ, then all the better. That means there will always be something more to learn, and something else new to try. ...............Bug.

[Old Griz]

Desert Eagle? They fall into a catagory called "Boat Anchors." Brick layers also carry them for balance when they've got a load of bricks under one arm. A Desert Eagle on the other side balances out that 40 lb. load. The 1911 and .357 sig—self-defense plinkers. Ain't real huntin guns. Just for two-legged critters. That old stuff? CAS—shootin real guns for fun! And speaking of fun, are we having fun yet?  :grin: Of course we are!  

[Questor]

I think the Desert Eagles are kinda cool. Massive and really heavy, but cool anyway. They make a hunting kit that has different barrels in different calibers. I think it may outweigh a scoped 14" contender.

[Graybeard]

Ya wanna see a REAL handgun? OKie here ya go.



Now dat's a REAL handgun.  :eek:  It followed me home today.  :-D  I couldn't help it honestly.  :lol:  It just followed me home.  :wink:  Really.  :roll:

It is the replacement for the S&W 29 you see pictured to the left in my avatar photo.

GB

[Gregory]

Gregory:

I don't think that was the original point, or most of the points following. The problem is the relative bulk of the bigger gun. A muzzle loader or a longbow have the same bulk as their modern counterparts.

Questor,
Does Graybeard's new toy, with a 12" barrel, have less bulk than a TC Contender with a 14" barrel and open sights?
Graybeard, how much does that cannon weigh?