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Over the previous five blogs, we’ve discussed handgun hunting and the speedloaders we provide for some of the most popular hunting handguns out there.
But what makes a handgun a hunting handgun? Can you just type in “most powerful handguns on the planet” and pick the one that looks coolest? Not necessarily. Here are some of the reasons that specific handguns become favorites among hunters who have tired of the ease of rifle hunting.
When you’re practicing for self-defense, a couple of inches over 30 feet doesn’t make much difference. But over the course of 150 yards (which isn’t out of the question with a hunting handgun), those little imperfections could cause a shot to be many feet off. That’s just not acceptable when you’ve got a tag and want to actually make use of it! Of course, a longer barrel often leads to better accuracy.
High-powered handguns are…well, they’re high powered. But that’s not just important because it’s able to stop an animal. It’s important because it gets the bullet there faster, meaning that there’s not much drop involved as the bullet makes its parabola. If you use something that doesn’t deliver enough power, you could end up hitting the ground in front of your target instead of delivering a killing shot. Hunting handguns are large enough to chamber these large rounds and keep the muzzle velocity up down the length of their long barrels.
Do you have to use a scope in order to hunt with a handgun? No, you don’t. But it’s recommended by hunting instructors. Not only does it allow you to stay a bit further away from large animals that have dangerous horns, but it also helps you get a kill on the first shot. Working with sights is fine when you’re at the range, but when you’re hunting you don’t want to wound an animal and have it suffer while you chase it over miles of terrain.
Take the Ruger Redhawk for instance. When Ruger increased the caliber for this double action revolver, they developed the Ruger Super Redhawk and added a rail for a scope. Today, every firearm that is marketed as a large animal hunting handgun incorporates a rail to accommodate a scope.
At first you might think that semi-automatics can’t be hunting handguns because they’re not powerful enough. But considering 10mm rounds like those delivered by the Glock 20 or the Colt Delta Elite, or something like a .50 from a Desert Eagle, that argument doesn’t hold.
There are two big reasons why semi-automatics are used as hunting handguns. First of all, the barrel length is often limited. Take the Desert Eagle; it only has a six inch barrel, which is on the low end of most hunting handguns. That means that accuracy is naturally decreased. (It’s just physics.)
The other reason that semi-autos aren’t usually used is that it’s hard to get them to accommodate scopes. Sure, there are workarounds to make it possible, but they’re often more trouble than they’re worth. You don’t have to use a scope for handgun hunting, but most every expert suggests it in order to ensure a clean kill.
We secretly hope you’ll choose a S&W Model 29 or a Ruger Super Redhawk, because then you’ll be able to enjoy using our .44 Magnum speedloaders! Still, no matter what you end up choosing, we hope you enjoy the sport. Happy hunting!
