Pistol for deer

[wadu1]

I would go with the 41, .45 ACP ball went right through a doe I was trying to dispatch on the Yakima Firing center after getting hurt during a live fire exercise. It took all 7 to get it down and out. During the turn of the century my grandmother only had a Stevens crackshot in .22 short she used that little gun to keep meet on the table. I still have a mule deer mount she did in about 1903/05 a nice big 2X2.

[Holg3107]

I shot my deer 2 years ago with a .44 mag out of my contender at 55yds and had more than enough power, that said i think a .357 mag would be the smallest cal i would even think about hunting with. Yes a .22 will kill a deer, it will kill an elk if everything is perfect but i don't think thats the point of the question, stick with the magnum calibers 

[jackelope]

t/c contender in pertnear whatever caliber you want.

[Ripper]

  I chose 357 as the minimum cal. I have one but have never shot a deer with it. If I were going buy a pistol just for deer hunting it would be a T/C because I'm a big fan of T/C's anyway. Very versatile. I'd probably stick to a smaller, flat shooting cal such as a 7mm-08. Keep the recoil down.

[Dirty Mike]

anybody hit something with a 45 colt or a 454?

[Bofire]

The 45 colt with good loads smokes the 44 mag. for power. 454 is a butt kicker.
Carl

[Kent Hunter]

I've only taken one deer with a handgun and it was with my Ruger .480 topped with a Leupold 2x scope. Distance was a lasered 113 yds. Pass through shot and dropped where he stood. I want to do it again!! I can see how people get darn near addicted to handgun hunting. I can't explain it, but it was just a different feeling taking that deer with a handgun instead of a rifle.

[BLKBEARKLR]

35 Rem TC Contender, fixed 4 power lighted reticle bipods, knocks a deer to the dirt.

[ing]

a 30 yard headshot with a .22 would drop a doe. but... ethically i have to go with the .38- thats plenty!!

Well if you shoot it in the head that sounds ethical to me.

[ing]

I've only taken one deer with a handgun and it was with my Ruger .480 topped with a Leupold 2x scope. Distance was a lasered 113 yds. Pass through shot and dropped where he stood. I want to do it again!! I can see how people get darn near addicted to handgun hunting. I can't explain it, but it was just a different feeling taking that deer with a handgun instead of a rifle.

How does that 480 shoot?  Does it buck much?  I have a couple of 44 mags and a 41 that I want to hunt deer with and i know they will kill a deer just fine, but I've been thinking about getting something bigger.

[JackOfAllTrades]

Technically speaking, 38 special & .357 are the same caliber & 9mm is basically the same as well (.003” less).  I wouldn’t use a 38 special, .40 S&W, .45 ACP or 9mm on deer, any of the others should be fine.

Oh good grief! Bullet diameter has nothing to do with the poll. There is great difference in the energy delivered from the 'different' cartridges listed.

I have taken 7 Blacktail in Washington with iron sighted pistol. 44mag works quite well, and in the hands of a skilled shooter the 357mag will do fine also.

There used to be rules in the game pamplet for minimum energy delivered. I think those rules should be reinstated as the new rule pretty much makes it conservation officer judgement call if what you're shooting is strong enough to hunt game with or not. There are some stupid people out there that will try their 9mm at 75yds on Deer. Not a good idea. A lot of us carry a side arm when hunting with rifle. I see nothing wrong with humanely dispatch a rifle shot animal that is suffering with that smaller side arm though.

-Steve

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

What happened?,
Back once upon a time they had more restrictive limits for handguns,

Handguns:
Big game, except cougar, may be hunted with
handguns with a minimum barrel length of 4 inches
per manufacturers specification, and fire a minimum
24 caliber centerfire cartridge. Cougar may be
hunted with 22 caliber centerfire handgun. Rimfire
handguns are not legal for big game.


When did they change it?

I Archery hunt now, but If drawn for Multi I could use a .357 ? cool !

[Kuduman]

I voted 357Mag but I would personally use my 44Mag.

[JackOfAllTrades]

What happened?,
Back once upon a time they had more restrictive limits for handguns

I'd have to check reg copies I might have from a few years back.. I wanna say it's been at least four or five years since they removed that lanquage. I talked to one officer once that said it would be very tough to prove that a hand load was too week or strong enough by taking a samping of someone's ammunition in the field, and very expensive to send it off to be proofed.

Now if an animal is witnessed shot by a hand gun, but the animal is not recovered, then the officer could write a citation not per the old rule, but per conditions of the shot with lower power cartridge not designed for hunting. I don't know the particulars, but it makes it easier for the officer to write said citation without 'proving' that the cartridge was under powered.

-Steve

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Really, I would not hunt with my handgun (Archery addict), but when I get drawn for bear this spring () while trying to call one in, I could carry my .357 as back-up.