5 Great Deer Hunting Handguns

Deer hunting with a handgun offers a new way to pursue deer for many who have never given it a try. Here are five handguns that are great for deer hunting whether you are new to handgun hunting or have been doing it for years.

Before looking at the guns perhaps a brief look at deer hunting cartridges should be in order. While a number of cartridges exist for deer hunting with handguns, the traditional .357, .41, and .44 Magnum are good choices due to wide availability of proven ammunition and reloading components at a reasonable cost. Before making any purchase, check out your state's regulations for handgun cartridge minimums and other restrictions (barrel length, etc.). Also, whenever possible shoot a few handguns to get the feel of them before investing hundreds of dollars or even more.

Perhaps the most effective handgun for deer hunting is the Thompson Center Contender. Various models exist, but the standard pistol is a simple break open single shot pistol that can handle not only the traditional handgun cartridges mentioned above but also many 'rifle' cartridges such as the 30-30 Winchester and 45-70 Government. The current model, the Contender G2 starts around the 550 dollar area.

The Ruger Blackhawk is a traditional hunting revolver and another great choice. Ruger has a great reputation for making quality firearms of all sorts and the Blackhawk is one of their best. The Ruger Blackhawk is a traditional six shot single action revolver. A standard blued Ruger Blackhawk will start around the 400 dollar mark.

For those preferring a double action revolver, Ruger offers the Redhawk and the Super Redhawk. The Super Redhawk has an extended frame for stronger scope mounting (with integral scope mounts). The Redhawk costs about $600 with the Super Redhawk starting more in the $700 range.
While semi-automatic pistols aren't common for deer hunting there are choices in this segment as well. Magnum Research's Desert Eagle is a costly pistol at $1400 or so but it is an interesting choice for deer hunting.

For those looking for an inexpensive deer hunting handgun, check out the Comanche Revolver. The Comanche Revolver retails for about $250 and often less. While Taurus and Rossi are better known as inexpensive revolver manufacturers (and should be considered) the Comanche is considerably less expensive. Buying a used revolver is another choice not to be overlooked.

While all of these handguns will work for deer hunting, there are literally scores of other handguns that will work as well. And in addition to the traditional calibers listed above there are also many other cartridges that are great for hunting. Just like with rifle hunting there are numerous choices for gun and cartridge.

Handgun hunting for deer is a great way to add a new experience to your deer hunting.