When you step into the field with a handgun, you are placing yourself at a disadvantage against the rifle hunters. With the odds stacked against you, setting up your hunting handgun properly is paramount.
Types of hunting handguns
There are two primary categories of hunting handguns: the revolver and the single shot. Leaving cartridges out of the equation for now, many revolvers with a 5-inch or longer barrel are adequate for hunting. Single shot handguns open up a whole other arena of capabilities. Break actions like the Thompson Center, bolt guns like the Remington XP-100, and numerous other types of actions have been used. Barrel lengths can range from 8 inches to over 16 inches on these single shots.
the Revolver
First, let’s dive into the hunting revolver. Over the course of my career, I had the pleasure of building quite a few custom hunting revolvers for customers, from modest open sight wheelguns to wild long-barreled scoped setups.
One of the first considerations you, as a hunter, need to take into account is the type of game you wish to pursue. For small game such as varmints, squirrels, rock chucks, and the like, there are various rimfires that will work quite well. 22LR is inexpensive to shoot and readily available; everyone needs a 22LR handgun.
22 Magnum and 17 HMR both have an increase in terminal performance over the 22LR and allow for larger varmints to be taken, such as rock chucks and groundhogs.
As we go up in animal size, so do our cartridge requirements. 357 Magnum is the starting point for deer-sized animals, and .44 Magnum is my minimum for elk.
front sights
After selecting the cartridge, we then want to look at our sighting systems. The majority of handgun hunters start with iron sights. For most revolvers, customizing the iron sights to work best for you and your vision is a simple task. The majority of revolvers come with a solid black or a red ramp front sight. While these sights will work, there are better options for us in the field.
The ramped design front sight does not provide the most defined top line to the front sight post. For precise shooting ,we want well-defined edges so that we can line up our sights perfectly.
A simple upgrade to a partridge sight (flat vertical face towards the shooter) will be worthwhile. The majority of shot opportunities on game come at first and last light. When lighting conditions are less than optimal, two other types of front sights—fiber optic and brass/gold bead—come into play. Both the fiber optic and the bead sight will gather ambient light and help draw your eye to the front sight, thus making shooting in low light much easier.
rear sights
But what about the rear sight? Your eyes are only capable of focusing on one distance at a time, so the rear sight is less important here.
Our rear sight needs to have consistent adjustments that do not move once zeroed. We do want a wide enough slot in the rear sight to allow light to pass on each side of the front sight. Other than that, I have seen little need for fiber optics, white outline, or white dot rear sights. A basic, plain black rear sight that holds its zero works quite well and comes standard on most revolvers.
Optics on revolvers
As time goes on, many find themselves wanting optics on a handgun, and I am right there with them. As we age, iron sights become more difficult to use, and you will also find that optics can give you a better sight picture under field conditions.
Most hunting-worthy revolvers come with a means to attach an optic. Smith & Wesson has been drilled and tapped under the rear sight for optics mounts since the 1990s. Freedom Arms and Magnum Research are both drilled and tapped, and Ruger makes hunter models that are cut for scope rings.
Currently, pistol scope manufacturing is on the decline. Magnified handgun scopes are still produced by Burris Optics, and other brands can be found used. A magnified optic on a handgun will aid in precision shooting, but it comes with a sacrifice; it magnifies the target, and also your wobble. You almost always need artificial shooting support to shoot with a magnified optic on a revolver. In addition to the difficulties of gaining stability with a handgun scope, you also lose shooting time at the beginning and end of the day due to reduced light transmission.
Even with that said, handgun scopes have their place. There are times when we need to take longer precision shots with our wheelgun.
Red Dot Optics
Red dot optics continue to advance in technology and have grown in popularity over the last decade. They allow you to obtain a better sight picture with less target obstruction, transmit light better than a handgun scope, and allow for faster target acquisition than a magnified optic.
While not as precise as a magnified optic, they do increase your effective range. Within the range limitations of a revolver, I find red dots to be the most advantageous sighting system. I have used them in dark timber elk hunting and the open prairie to shoot beyond 100 yards on game.
No matter which optics type you choose, you need to practice shooting with it from field positions. This will allow you to learn both its strengths and weaknesses before you head out into the field.
revolver grips
The additional areas for consideration for a hunting revolver set up focus on squeezing every bit of accuracy out of the firearm as possible.
Grips that fit your hand are very important, and there are many to choose from. I have settled on the Hogue Big Butt grip for most of my revolvers over the years. The Big Butt grip comes in multiple designs, giving you many options to find the one that fits your hand the best. In addition, it also has a large pommel on the bottom that can be used to rest the revolver when shooting from support. I always try to take a supported shot when it is feasible.
In more recent years, I have stumbled upon Nill grips. Nill grips fit me like a glove, and they are also available in multiple sizes. The grip is what connects you to the firearm, and its importance should not be overlooked.
Gunsmith work for optimal accuracy
Most revolvers will come out of the box capable of good accuracy at modest ranges. As you strive to shoot more precisely, and farther, you will need the help of a good pistolsmith. I found that most revolvers benefit from a small amount of custom gunsmith work.
Trigger work is first up. By reducing the pull weight, smoothing out the trigger pull, and eliminating creep, it will allow you to break shots more consistently. This will lead to tighter groups and increased maximum range.
To tighten up mechanical accuracy shortfalls, uniforming the cylinder throats is next on my list. Your pistolsmith will use a reamer to make all of the cylinder throats the same size. This prevents bullets from being squeezed down to different sizes before they enter the bore. It also helps make the cartridge start pressure the same, as smaller throats have more resistance than larger ones. Uniformed cylinder throats are a must for accuracy.
Lastly, I like a new crown cut on all of my factory revolvers. The crown is the last part that touches the bullet, and an even release from the bore is critical.
Uniforming the cylinder throats, trigger work, and a new muzzle crown will pay dividends in accuracy improvement. They are worth the investment with your chosen pistolsmith.
single shot handguns
Describing that perfect equipment setup for the wheelgun is complex enough, now let’s dive into the wide open category: single shot handguns.
The single shot handgun is just that, a firearm with a single chamber and no magazine. They may be bolt action, break action, or even cannon breach. These handguns can be chambered in everything from a rimfire all the way through the largest rifle chamberings.
The two most common single shots are the break actions, such as the T/C Contender or Encore, and the bolt actions like the Remington XP-100. The Remington XP-100 has been discontinued for a couple of decades, but clone actions do exist, and they are popular to build into full-blown customs.
I built XP-100 or clones for customers from tiny 17 caliber chamberings all the way through 338 Lapua Improved. The XP-100 can be customized and built just like a custom rifle; high-end barrel blanks, action truing, muzzle brakes, and so on. Just like any custom, these tend to be quite expensive. With Thompson Center relaunching this year, both the Encore and G2 Contender are available once again and are more affordable options. Both T/C frames are capable of handling very formidable cartridges that are capable of taking the biggest game at extended ranges.
optics on single shot handguns
There are a lot of variations within the single shot platforms, but a few points stand out for selecting and setting up your hunting handgun.
Once you narrow down your cartridge, just like we did with the revolvers previously in this article, you will want to move onto optics. To truly capitalize on the accuracy and range capabilities of a single shot you will want magnified optics. Years ago, this meant using a pistol scope. As stated before, pistol scopes lack light transmission. In addition to that, they force you to shoot with fully extended arms, which can be difficult in field shooting positions. Pistol scopes also have not continued to progress with technology like the rifle scopes have, leaving us wanting for features like target turrets and reticles.
the gunsmith solution
Luckily, somewhere in the late 1990s, gunsmiths started coming up with a solution. We all started fitting highly effective muzzle brakes to the single shot handguns. Now, with even some of the largest cartridges, we can shoot from a tight position, with a rifle scope, and not get smacked in the face.
Being able to shoot from a tight position is key to setting up quickly and shooting in the field. You are far more stable if you can bring your firearm closer to your body. In addition, we can shoot with less light, compensate more effectively for bullet drop, and have higher magnification with a rifle scope.
If you are considering setting up a single shot handgun, I encourage you to look around and see what others are doing. You will find the vast majority setting them up with quality rifle scopes and muzzle brakes.
Single shot handguns are less common, but there are several current producers of them; Thompson Center, CVA, and custom gunsmiths using a Borden XP clone action, just to name a few.
just in case
I like to use the single shot when hunting as my “just in case gun.” Just in case I am unable to stalk within revolver range.
Hunting the west, we have terrain in the mountains, prairie with limited cover, and other obstacles that can limit my ability to get under 200 yards and within revolver range. I simply stick a single shot within my pack just in case the animal I want to take does not provide the opportunity for a closer stalk.
ammunition and projectiles
We have one more critical gear component to cover, that is ammunition and projectiles. With any hunting handgun, single shots included, our velocity is more limited than a rifle. Care must be taken to ensure that bullets, whether used in factory ammunition or handloads, will adequately expand or disrupt within our velocity range.
I use an expanding bullet for every type of game in North America. I find that they leave a better blood trail, cause more internal damage, and ultimately bring an animal down quicker. Quality expanding bullets are available from Hornady, Speer, Sierra, Barnes, and others. These can also be found in loaded ammunition by various producers.
In more recent years, I have switched to all mono metal bullets for increased terminal performance and accuracy. A newer technology called fracturing has really caught my attention with its performance on game. Cutting Edge Bullets produces what I have found to be the most lethal handgun bullets on the market.
Handgun hunting is a more challenging path to take, trying to achieve success in the field. It limits your range, lengthens your stalk, and sometimes makes you pass on shots you could have easily taken with a rifle.
But it’s the challenge that brings me back and attracts new hunters every year. Properly setting up your hunting handgun is key to achieving success in the field.
