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Without a doubt, the two most common types of tools used to hunt with are rifles and shotguns. Of course, there are bow hunters as well. But one of the least-used types of hunting gear are revolvers. While many hunters might keep one at their side for large-animal defense or for plinking when the hunting doesn’t go so well, there’s not a huge percentage of people out there who primarily choose to hunt with a handgun over the more common types of firearms.
But they are out there, and more people every day are discovering the fun and adventure that can be had by handgun hunting. Wanna know more? Let’s take a look.
While you could hunt small animals with a Ruger LCR and some 9mm moon clips, handgun hunting usually refers to significantly larger game that’s being hunted. The most common game hunted with handguns are deer and wild hogs, though handguns of today are powerful enough to take down the largest animals on the planet.
Handgun hunting really came into its own with the introduction of the .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun for its time. Other popular calibers include .454 Casule, .41 magnum, and .50. While nearly every hunting handgun is a revolver or single shot, those who are fond of semi-automatic handguns may choose to hunt with a 10mm cartridge in something like a Glock 20.
Handgun hunters tend to wear their ability to hunt with a handgun as a badge of honor, often considering it to be more sporting than rifle hunting. If there are deer everywhere and you could take down four with a rifle, they’d rather spend a bit more time and get one with a handgun. You need to get much closer in order to handgun hunt, and when someone tires of the ease of a rifle they sometimes move on to handgun hunting.
This reason goes hand-in-hand with the previous one. In order to handgun hunt, you have to get closer to your prey, That means being able to get closer without making noise, and it often means concealing your scent in some way. While handgun kills can be made from 100 to 200 yards with a scope, usually it means getting considerably closer to the animal.
Most people who love guns just love guns in general. There are many people who, if they own four guns, will have a rifle, a shotgun, a revolver, and a semi-auto.
But when it comes to hunters, sometimes all of their guns are of the same type. Perhaps they’ll have four shotguns, like a .410, a 20 gauge, and break-action 12-gauge, and an autoloader. Some might only have high-powered bolt actions. And for some people, it’s revolvers all day long.
We understand. While we have many guns, there’s a special place in our hearts for revolvers, and that’s why we have made the best speedloaders in the world to accommodate them. When it comes to hunting with a .44 Magnum speedloader, we have S&W model 69 5-shot speedloaders, S&W Model 29 6-shot speedloaders, Ruger Alaskan speedloaders, and Ruger Super Blackhawk speedloaders.
Are you considering becoming a handgun hunter? Does rifle hunting just seem too easy to you, and you’d rather get a little closer to your prey? If so, maybe it’s for you. In our next blog we’re going to talk about some of the gear you’re going to need to hunt with a revolver or single-shot, and after that take a look at some tips for handgun hunting. Check back soon!
