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Why, with long-range hunting all the rage, would anyone commit to using a handgun for hunting big game?
The answer is simple: Handgun hunting presents its own challenges, and demands more of the hunter. Rifles and muzzleloaders offer better accuracy at greater distances, but for anyone willing to put in the time and effort practicing with their firearm and closing the gap on game, handgun hunting offers a thrill all its own.
It helps to have good equipment and good coaching, and on my first dedicated handgun hunt, I had both. I was attending a Thompson/Center media hunt in south Texas, and with four deer tags to fill, I was interested in trying out the company’s newly reintroduced Contender pistol. Paul Pluff, director of marketing communications at Smith & Wesson, helped set up the hunt and joined me in camp. Having been with S&W for more than 35 years, Pluff is a dedicated handgun hunter and a fantastic shooting coach. But my training session came with a warning.
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“If you hunt with a handgun, you’ll always want to hunt with a handgun,” Pluff said. “You’ll get hooked. You’ll be in the tribe.”
Distinct Advantages
In the field, the handgun was much more cooperative than a rifle. When holstered, there was no exposed barrel to hang on catclaw thorn or mesquite, no tugging weight from a sling. And when I was in a blind or setting up to rattle, the gun was easy to maneuver and pointed quickly. I could hunt with a tripod in hand and still be ready to quickly shoot over brush. And with visibility at less than 100 yards, hunting with a handgun was not a limitation in terms of maximum effective range. When my chance finally came, I took a whitetail buck at 30 yards with one shot. I don’t know who was more excited, Pluff or me.
It’s a little surprising that over the course of the last 60 years, handgun hunting hasn’t become more popular. In the mid-20th century, handgun hunters were limited to a handful of wildcat cartridges and the .44 Magnum and .45 Colt. Since then, there has been a dramatic increase in the number and potency of handgun cartridges for hunting, and a corresponding uptick in the quality of handgun hunting bullets. And given the quality of today’s handgun hunting scopes, in the right hands, these guns are capable of taking larger game at longer distances than ever before. Pluff demonstrated this on a safari in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, where he took a kudu bull at 193 yards with a .460 Smith & Wesson.
Do I count myself among the tribe now that I have taken a deer with a pistol? Certainly. Handgun hunting has its own a special challenges that require extra effort and time. But, after all, isn’t the challenge part of the hunting experience? If you agree, you might be ready to join the tribe.
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https://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/hunting/2016/04/handgun-hunting-101-gear-cartridges-and-tips-you-need-get-started/