new redhawk for deer hunting

[pleadthe2nd]

Buying a super redhawk in 44mag, this will not be a range gun, strictly for deer hunting, was thinking of topping it with a weaver classic handgun scope, and installing a wolf spring kit , has anyone taken a big buck with this gun or should I limit myself to does, I've tried the gp100 up to and no more than 50 yards, but the 357 just didn't seem big enough to do the job, so I stepped up, what is the success rate with the SRH, distance, and which factory loads are best for this purpose, any recommendations on a good setup will be appreciated, thanks

 

[Kanook]

The 44mag and the 357mag are both enough to take Deer with (Buck and Doe) as long as you choose the right ammo and put it where it needs to go.

Any handgun you choose to hunt with should go to the range everytime you go. There is always room for improvement.

 

[bayou5252]

The 44mag and the 357mag are both enough to take Deer with (Buck and Doe) as long as you choose the right ammo and put it where it needs to go.

Any handgun you choose to hunt with should go to the range everytime you go. There is always room for improvement.

Do you have a favorite 357 projectile that you choose for deer hunting?

Could you please share?

Thanks -

Bayou

 

[rob-c]

for 357 I have had good results with a 180 grain hard cast loaded over 13 grains of 2400. I have my wife shooting 158 grain xtp's over 2400 but looking to experiment with mp-300.i use 240 grain xtp over 21 grains of 2400 in my 44. Do a google search for hunting bullets for the 357 or 44 and you will find hours and hours of reading...

 

[pleadthe2nd]

I love my 357, and I know it will take a deer, the problem is no blood trail, last year I thought I missed at about 20 yards hard to believe but I couldn't find a drop of blood, too weeks later my dogs brought her up to the deck, I used Remington htp jacketed soft point in 158 gr. If I was to use the 357 again there would have to be snow on the ground, need a bigger hole, my reason for the super redhawk purchase , my first big bore , I believe this to be the way to go, not sure what bullet weight to use though would probably stay in that 50 yard range though

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I don't do any hunting but I know a 44 magnum will take down any deer within range and a good factory ammo would be Federal 'Fusion' or 'Power-Shok' ammo or any of the semi-jacketed soft points. A 2X scope or a RedDot is good field equipment. :D

 

[s4s4u]

The 44 is more than capable of taking big bucks. As with any chambering you still have to put the bullet where it belongs. The Weaver is one of my favorite scopes.

 

[pleadthe2nd]

Thank you for the replies, I will go with the weaver 2x scope glad to hear it's your favorite, and I have always found federa to be very good ammo, I will be looking for the fusions as they've been very reliable in my 12ga. Again thanks guy's, sometimes confirmation from fellow hunter's, shooters is best for making these decisions

 

[jsh]

I have yet to recover on of my 180 WFN from my 357's. Shots were out to about 150 and closer. I aim for front shoulders myself. A good dose of lil'gun gets me up to speed.
Deer,either sex are not that hard to poke an entrance and exit hole in.
FYI a larger caliber is no replacement for poor shot placement.
As mentioned above, practice on a regular basis is a must when handgun hunting, no matter what caliber or platform.
Jeff

 

[pleadthe2nd]

Shot placement isn't an issue as I have a private range in my backyard up to 150 yards , with a little tree removal could get 200, I practice often, and my shots are in the zone for sure, 50 yards being my average distance for practice, just couldn't find any blood with the 357 size hole , but I totally agree that practice is key, and will continue to do so

 

[Rumrunner]

The SRH 44 is a great deer pistol. I reload Hornady 240 grain XTP's for my 44's. The Federal Fusion should be fine for any deer as well.

This is my 2nd bigges buck. Took him with my Encore 44 with 240 XTP reloads.

 

[Rumrunner]

Sorry about the pic size. This one was added prior to my learning how to size.

 

[contender]

Way back in the 1980's,, I bought a Redhawk in 44 mag just for deer hunting myself. It is well capable of taking any deer in North America.
I'd look long & hard at the Hornady XTP ammo if you have to shoot factory.
I prefer to use a hand cast slug around 1000-1100 fps in 44, 45's & such. No problem with blood trails etc. Now, I've taken over 100 deer with a handgun,, and my normal one is a T/C Contender. But it sounds like you have the place & space to get good with it. If your 357 was lacking in anything,, I'd say it may have been the bullet/load selection you used.

 

[pleadthe2nd]

Wow, that's a great deer, now I know I made a good choice for my new deer gun, can't wait till next season

 

[pleadthe2nd]

Contender your probably right about the ammo I used, as this was the best I had available at the time, I did try some buffalo bore at the range, but had problems with it both in acuracy and misfires so they didn't go into the field with me, this was with my 6 " gp100 . I should get into reloading someday

 

[Rumrunner]

Definitely cheaper/better to load your own. Even with a $28.00 Lee classic loader.

 

[contender]

Handgun hunting started for me long ago. I began with a .22 LR & small game. It taught me a lot about using a handgun in the field, bullet selection & placement. When I decided to go after big game,,, I started by using jacketed bullets. I wasn't into casting back then. But, over time,,, with a lot of studying,,, listening to those with the wisdom of experience,,, I learned a lot.
Reloading is the best way to get ammo to match your gun. Plus,, once you get into that,, you will learn a lot more about bullets, velocity, designs, & what actually works in the field.
But, if you stay with factory,, & deer is the game,,, very good results are achieved with the Hornady in the XTP bullets.

Now, I'm going to go out on a limb, and offer a suggestion here. A new book just got published,, by a member here,, (MaxP) on handgun hunting. It's the "Gun Digest book of Hunting Revolvers" by Max Prasac. I'm awaiting my copy,,, as I haven't seen it yet. But,,,, Max has written a few other books, and they are all very good. This new one was done all about hunting with revolvers & a lot of good info from all I've heard about it.

 

[cbnutt]

In general , is a hard cast flat nose bullet preferred over a hollow point , or jacketed soft expanding point when hand gun hunting , ive been getting a few new handguns, 41 Mag , 45 LC , and plan next year on being more serious at Deer hunting with one , seems I may have read most prefer the hardcast ?? Thanks .

 

[t-reg]

Be careful about that scope. I highly recommend you try it under hunting conditions (squirrel hunting?) before taking it into the woods for deer. There's a big difference between sighting on a deer in the woods than at targets- paper, cans, etc. Especially if the action is fast and/or close.

 

[pleadthe2nd]

Good point, t-reg . Would you recommend a red dot over the scope for deer hunting, I have the vortex viper on my gp100, and very familiar with it , I was just thinking a scope on the super redhawk for a little more distace , I try to avoid shots at fast moving game, unless I'm shotguning small game

 

[Rumrunner]

I have a 2x Nikon on my 44 Encore, and an UltraDot red dot on my SRH. I prefer the red dot mostly. But when in my ground blinds with my Caldwell field pod for a rest the scoped TC is great. I did shoot a coyote with the scoped TC shooting freehand at about 20 yards.

 

[jsh]

Glass on revolvers and lever guns is looked down on in some circles. I myself don't like the looks, yet I use them as age is not our friend.
All of the straight 2x glass I have ever owned,used or looked though, is no more than an aiming point, saves alignment of front and rear sights. I am like others, the 2x may make the target look smaller than it is in some cases.
4x Leupold seems to me to be the best move. Enough magnification to aid in shot placement, yet not so much power that one gets caught up in the cross hairs being perfectly still. Contrary to popular belief, all of them move.
Red dots,ya get what ya pay for. Ultra dots are pretty much proven across the board. I dislike things of this kind with batteries, as the can quit at the worst time. If I use one it has BRAND new FRESH batteries in it and I have a spare in my pocket all through the season.
A good,no,great piece of glass that is over looked a lot by some is the 5x Burris. It needs modernized some but can make a great hunting scope. I used one for several years in IHMSA 1/2 size on my 6-223 XP. Held my own and beat out a few using two times as many X's.
I am a home town supporter, so I am partial to Bushnell. The 2-6 Elite EER is my go to variable glass. I have an original B&L that has been on about every type of XP and TC caliber out there. I had the rebuild it once just because I thought it wasn't tracking. Wasn't a scope problem but a cracked base problem.
I have had all the Leupold and Burris variable EER glass at one time or another. I must be of the knuckle dragging type as the usable eye relief for me all stopped at or around 7x on them. When I say useable, I mean from a hunting point. Throw the gun up, and through the scope I have a full field of view. Not the black blob, not the little bitty circle moving around in the big one and cross hairs swinging like a role in the wind.
One other thing be aware of the IER scopes, intermediate eye relief. I have several in 7x and 10x. They have their place but I don't see the deer hunting fields one of them. If you expect long shots on calm critters,by all means yes then.

Didn't mean to ramble, but the OP seemed some what unknowing of handgun glass.
Jeff

 

[bigbill]

One problem I fear is we have a b&c 18pt buck that can easily break records. He's smart and stays far enough away. I put a 500yd BDC scope on all my rifles. This is a 300lb buck.
If I carry my 44mag you know he's going to pay a visit.

 

[howl]

240gr hollow point like Hornady XTP will do it as far as you are likely to be able to call your shot. Hard cast is not necessary or desirable for deer. They work, but you will usually get better blood with the hollow point. A corollary is that if you want less recoil, and want to use lighter loads, hard cast may be desirable because they penetrate so well.

Use a red dot instead of a scope. They're just quicker to line up. Handguns are slow. Handguns with scopes are slower.

Most Super Redhawks have longer barrels than are easy to tote on the belt. A 4" Redhawk with micro red dot might be worth looking at.

 

[t-reg]

Good point, t-reg . Would you recommend a red dot over the scope for deer hunting, I have the vortex viper on my gp100, and very familiar with it , I was just thinking a scope on the super redhawk for a little more distace , I try to avoid shots at fast moving game, unless I'm shotguning small game

I have no experience with red dots. It's hard to argue with a proven set-up.

I was just telling my cautionary tale of handgun scopes in the woods (distance) and for close range shooting they are not the be all end all. I missed out on shots that I knew could have been made with open sights. It's a lot of money and blown opportunity to think about on the way back back to the truck to take that scope off your pistol. Your territory and conditions will determine which is best for you. YMMV, try it before you buy it.

With a pistol, no matter the aiming device, you have to be prepared to pass on shots that would seem easy with a rifle.

 

[t-reg]

Hard cast is not necessary or desirable for deer. They work, but you will usually get better blood with the hollow point.

That'll be news to moren' a few of us.........

 

[Varminterror]

I don't have a Weaver handgun scope, but I do have: Bushnell Elite & Trophy, Simmons Prohunter, Leupold FX and VX, Burris Pistol and AO Pistol, and Nikon Force.

In general, when in hunting field with a handgun, I camp between 3-6x, usually 4x unless I'm shooting supported. I only zoom down to 2x in the waxing and waning sun hours, as I can often actually see better through the scope than with the naked eye (bless handgun scopes for that). Crosshair wiggle never bothers me, but shooting the higher magnifications like 8xand 12x at short ranges and unsupported just isn't an advantage unless I'm shooting for groups. In a supporting rest or from the bench, I take as much magnification as I can get, even using a rifle scope on top of my handguns. By starting at 4x, I know I can pick up short shots quickly and adequately track a mover if needed, and given more time to make the shot, I can spool up the magnification as desired.

It's really important for handgunners to practice their sight acquisition and target acquisition, regardless of whether they're using irons or a scope. It doesn't really take much time to develop your technique so when you raise the handgun, the sights/crosshairs come to your eyeline and find the target all in one smooth movement.

 

[pleadthe2nd]

Finally got my super redhawk, after waiting for 5 days for the background check, rediculous considering this is not my first handgun purchase , and having a ccw permit. Already put in a wolf spring kit, going to go with a vortex venom red dot sight as soon as I rebound my check book, man these things are expensive. But I noticed that the cylider is kinda hard to open, found the ejector pin dragging on the frame, is this normal, maybe just needs to wear a bit ? My gp100 has never done this, should I grind a little off of it or just use it more, it is brand new, only 8 rounds so far, we'll till after this post anyway. But they sure are proud of the ammo for the 44mag. $$$

 

[rob-c]

FYI, not sure what your paying for the vortex ,but You can get a 30 mm ultrdot red dot on Amazon for $177. The ultradots are proven , even on much larger revolvers than a 44.

 

[cmonti77]

Finally got my super redhawk, after waiting for 5 days for the background check, rediculous considering this is not my first handgun purchase , and having a ccw permit.

Why did it take so long? Last time I bought a handgun, the background check took about 15 minutes.