Re: handgun hunting?

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senorgrand wrote: Fri Apr 13, 2018 11:17 am What caliber(s) do you shoot with the TC?
7 TCU, .30 Herrett, .357, .223, .44 Mag. I prefer the .30 Herrett, 7 TCU, and .357 for hunting. With a bench rest the 7 TCU is a tack driver. With open sights I get 2" groups at 100 yards. I don't use a scope for any of them.

Re: handgun hunting?

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senorgrand wrote: Fri Apr 13, 2018 9:58 pm Yeah...can't hunt with cast bullets here. Solid copper only.
Not quite the same in Arizona. The rule says no military style ammo. So what is that? Full metal Jacket with lead core and solid steel penetrator. In the field a game warden isn't going to see if you have commercially available .223 FMJ or military FMJ. Looking at the head stamp is meaningless for the game warden. But you'll get dinged if you don't have jacketed soft points or hollow points. Oddly, solid lead is OK as long as it is a hollow point. The rule just says the bullet must mushroom on impact. If you apply for a big game permit in units where they are releasing California Condors and get drawn the game and fish department gives you a coupon to buy solid copper ammo.

handgun hunting?

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senorgrand wrote:What do you do to improve your marksmanship?

Nice rig BTW...love the cylinder.
At 40 years plus it has seen a lot of country. Elk, deer,antelope, moose and hogs. With an occasional prairie dog or jack rabbit thrown in for good measure. My favorite load is 10.0 grains of unique with a 240 gr lswc.
It can lead with a soft bullet but is good for deer out to 75 yards. Mine has always preferred the 300 grain jacketed bullets. XTP bullets have put a lot of meat in the freezer for me. Stay away from the 200 grain they act like grenades when they hit something.

Even after serious practice with offhand shooting I still always tried to find a rest when shooting at the critters.


With hogs the trick is to hit them before they get any adrenaline flowing. That is what ruins the taste in my opinion. Going after running deer and antelope taught me to hit them early in the AM to keep the game taste down. Plus what they eat really makes a difference as well. Once I started hunted hogs on a pecan farm the taste really improved.

Enjoy the hunt. Do you have any family to take along to share the experience with?




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Re: handgun hunting?

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Too bad I didn't swing over to the pistol range today- if you'll be there tomorrow, you can try out both of my semi's with red dots- as Marlene noted, I think you'd be surprised at how well you can do with those out to 100.
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Re: handgun hunting?

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senorgrand wrote: Thu Apr 12, 2018 12:55 pm The state of california wants you to shoot at least 44 mags, and then that's only for hogs up to 90 pounds. 454 and 460 opens-up to all sized hogs.
I would roll eyes at this, but since you're restricted to lead-free bullets, I have no idea how that plays out.
IMR4227: Zero to 900 in 0.001 seconds

I'm only killing paper and my self-esteem.

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Re: handgun hunting?

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senorgrand wrote: Thu Apr 12, 2018 3:07 pm You're right, it might be the ugliest revolver ever. They do make a Redhawk with scope mounts...I'd probably go that way if I go Ruger.
Unless you can demo both enough to be sure, I'd think the Super Redhawk is a safer bet. I've never handled the SR, but I have an original Redhawk and a GP100 (same type of trigger mechanism as the Super). I've been doing a bit of dry fire practice with them lately, and I can keep the sights MUCH quieter on the GP100. It's night and day how much easier it is. The weight and the different grips are probably not irrelevant (my GP100 came with a Houge, and I'm much happier since getting the wooden side panel Ruger grip for Xmas, which of course are also available for the Super Redhawk), but I'm pretty sure the GP100 trigger gets plenty of credit. It's nowhere as nice as an S&W (it makes a bit of crunching noise in DA), but it works pretty well. I enjoy shooting the Redhawk, but I'll bet I could shoot a Super better.

Also the .22LR GP100 would be the closest match to the ergonomics of Super Redhawk (assuming they're wearing the same grips). The GP100 and the original Redhawk feel very different. I'd think that keeping that consistent would be the best way to get your skills to transfer from one gun to the other.
Smith has a lot of nice 44 mag hunting revolvers though...
Yes, and I rented a 617 recently. Probably needed cleaning under the star, 'cause cocking action was draggy, but it shot really nicely in SA. Better than my pre-Model 17 K22. Definitely a good use of your stash of .22 ammo as a partner to a 629. However, although it's not as much fun, dry practice with the .44 is also free ammo (and doesn't require a $econd revolver) and is probably at least as valuable.

I've shot a scoped handgun only a VERY little, but I'd agree with Marlene that low power is the way to go unless your hands are real steady. Magnifying your shaking will just scare you into shooting worse. I've been tempted to put a 2x Leupold on the Redhawk, but it's not really worth the trouble for killing paper. Sure would be nice to actually see the target clearly, though.
IMR4227: Zero to 900 in 0.001 seconds

I'm only killing paper and my self-esteem.

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Re: handgun hunting?

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For a hunting handgun shooting heavy ammo what good is a DA? When does anybody shoot a revolver DA when the bullets are heavy and shot at very high velocity. I have Hogue monos on my Blackhawk 45 and they make the gun more controllable and accurate than my Redhawk. I also have one handgun with a scope on it, it's best use is for load development at long range from a bench, wouldn't use it for actual hunting, good red dot would be better.

I find it odd that California would restrict calibers based on the weight of the animal being hunted, if someone shot a pig with a 44 that weighed 100lbs what would they do?

Re: handgun hunting?

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As he already said (post #22), some of us just find the geometry of a DA revolver more comfortable. I first fired .44 Mag from a friend's dad's Super Blackhawk, and hated it. Six rounds and I was ready to quit after four. I thought I didn't like the .44. Many years later I shot my brother-in-law's Redhawk and very soon bought my own. I can shoot a few dozen rounds of full-on .44 Mag and enjoy it.

I've also fired a Ruger Single Ten, and while they're nice, I prefer a K-frame.

Maybe I just don't know how to hold an SA revolver, maybe I'd prefer a Bisley grip (which I've never shot), but even if I shoot them in SA mode most of the time, I'm accustomed to double action revolvers and like them. I also prefer their appearance, which is less important, but...
IMR4227: Zero to 900 in 0.001 seconds

I'm only killing paper and my self-esteem.

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Re: handgun hunting?

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After shooting some other folk's red-dot equiped handguns this weekend, I am leaning towards a .44 Smith, as shooting at that distance really benefits from a sweet SA trigger and S&W is about as sweet as it gets.

So, I'm going to get a 617 6" and either scope or red-dot it and use that to practice with and mybe that will give me some additional insights into what I want in a 44.

Oh, I also shot my 627 with the new x-frame grips and I really like it. I'd like a 44 with those grips as well.
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Re: handgun hunting?

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I agree on the traditional grip for the SA which was designed for shooting left handed from a horse is a bit of a pain with hard kicking ammo. I lucked out in that the Hogue grips which are ugly give me the same purchase as a DA but allows a proper hold so the gun does not roll back. I also have never fired a Bisley and have always been curious.

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