Off Topic Hand Gun Question

bojangles · Post by **bojangles** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 6:19 pm

In Ohio your allowed to use either shotgun,muzzleloader,or a handgun with atleast a 5 inch barrel and .357 caliber or bigger..so...I was wondering if theres a hunting handgun that fits these requirements but can reach out there a ways and still take down a deer?I hate using slug guns and want longer distance accuracy.Say 150-200 yard shots.I dont really want to mess with a muzzleloader becasue I no squat about them so I was trying to find some info on a hunting handgun that would be capapable of doing this.It seems like I was watching a hunting show on versus channel the other night and a guy made a long shot with a hunting handgun on a deer.Any info on hunting handguns and maxium hunting distance on a deer with it would be great.(a gun that meets ohios requirements of .357 or larger,5 inch barrel min.,and uses straight walled bullets.

Dave1 · Post by **Dave1** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 6:28 pm

I shoot a 14" TC Contender 7x30 Waters and it is a great deer hunting handgun. I have taken several nice bucks out to 130 yards and wouldn't hesitate to shoot at 150 or more with a good rest from a tree stand.

The Contenders and Encores are single shot break down style guns and are available in many modern rifle calibers as well as some great custom calibers. The Contender and Encore handguns will easily take a deer at long range, but the .357 minimum caliber requirement narrows your choice of calibers a lot.

Check out the TC Contender and Encore long range hunting handguns. They are fun to shoot and hunt with. Below is a picture of my gun equipped with UltraDot brand red dot scope.

BTW, many of the modern muzzle loader rifles will shoot well out to 150-200 yards.

Dave

groundpounder · Post by **groundpounder** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 7:09 pm

I've had a Thompson contender with 10" .44 barrel and a 14" .223 barrel. The .223 was a great long distance shooter. I now have an XP-100 chambered in .223 that I've taken a 10 pointer with (40 yd shot) and my brother took a doe at 130yds with it. I'll have to try and post a pic of it later but if you don't know what an XP-100 is its a Remington bolt action pistol.

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 7:14 pm

Nice looking handgun, Dave.

Nice looking racks, Bob.

Bo', the TC handguns are worth looking into.

wildman · Post by **wildman** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 8:09 pm

You might wanna try a S & W 460 been reading bout them alot seem they have good range to them ..

longwinters · Post by **longwinters** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 8:26 pm

I also use the TC Contender in 7x30 Waters. Easy to reload for, if you like to reload. A 30-30 case necked down to shoot 7mm bullets. I shoot 120 gn Ballistic Tips and 140 Accubonds or Partitions with mine. Good for deer size game out to about 200+ yds. I have a rifle fettish, but did use the Tender to take a small 10pt at 70 yds about 5 years ago.

These pistols are accurate. Mine, off of a bench, will group under MOA at 100 yds.

You will want to shoot it off of a rest/bipod.

Long

groundpounder · Post by **groundpounder** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 8:38 pm

Here is the pic of my XP-100 in .223

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 9:58 pm

groundpounder wrote:Here is the pic of my XP-100 in .223

That thing oughta hold well!

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 10:44 pm

Had a T/C contender with a 14" 45/70 barrel several years ago. Very good accuracy and plenty of punch, but back then it wasn't legal for deer hunting in Ohio. I sold it, and of course they changed the law to make it among the legal cartridges a few years after I sold it.

Never tried it much past 100 yards, but at 100 yards I could hit a pop can every shot.
It did have a little recoil, though.

The S&W .460 is probably the most accurate big bore production handgun available now. They say good groups at 200 yards are very possible. It can also handle .454 Casull or .45 Colt ammo for reduced loads, but they say accuracy suffers with the light loads.

(I've killed deer with a .45 Colt - max loads in a Ruger revolver - and if that's a light load the .460 just might take a lot of practice to get used to the muzzle blast & recoil

)

FredBear · Post by **FredBear** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 11:34 pm

The s&w is the only gun above that would be legal in Ohio. It also has to be a straight walled cartridge. If you are looking for a longer distance you should look into a muzzleloader IMO.

Brampton Mike · Post by **Brampton Mike** » Sun Nov 22, 2009 6:02 am

You guys are so lucky to be able to hunt with handguns....i'm jealous!

Brampton Mike

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Sun Nov 22, 2009 6:20 am

I've got a S&W 629 Classic in .44 Magnum that sports an 8 & 3/8" barrel ... a very nice deer rig. I can shoot baseball-to-softball sized groups offhand at 50 yards, most of the time. It has the best trigger of any weapon I own.

I've never killed a deer with it, but that's what I bought it for.

I once had it drawn and cocked on a 325 lb. bear that was 12 feet away ... but decided not to be a hero and shot her with my .30-'06!

PA_DeerHunter · Post by **PA_DeerHunter** » Sun Nov 22, 2009 7:09 am

I hunted Ohio many years ago with my .44 mag. The regulations then said you could hunt with a slug gun, or a "straight walled" pistol cartridge.

Does that regulation still apply? If so, I'm not sure the 30-30 type pistol cartridges, or any with a sloped neck, would be legal?

longwinters · Post by **longwinters** » Sun Nov 22, 2009 8:39 am

Well, that limits your cartridge options but the TC's can be had in about any cartridge you can think of. Even the big ones could be breaked for easier handling. I would check on a website called "Specialty Pistols" and ask your question there. You will get lots of help.

Long

bojangles · Post by **bojangles** » Sun Nov 22, 2009 9:17 am

Im just not sure if I want to mess with a muzzleloader or not.I know nothing about them...are they hard to learn?Do any of the thompson center handguns meet my requirements? .357 or larger,straight walled jackets,and 150 yard shots on deer?I really dont want to spend a boat load when I can get 2 muzzleloaders for the price of a 454.