Tips for a new handgun hunter you wish someone would have shared with you.

Know what your gun is capable of doing and what you are capable of. Stay within those parameters. Trigger time will extend those parameters. Lots to trigger time.

1. Don't shoot that 44 Mag without lots of ear protection. Most hunters use rifle ear protection while practicing on the range, but don't use protection while hunting. Don't do that with a 44 Mag. Use electronic ear protection.

2. I like a cross-draw belt holster or a chest holster for hunting. Wear it outside your parka, not under your clothes. These 2 holster options require less movement and are easier to draw in a tree stand.

3. Use a rest. Carry a long bi-pod if stalking, use a tree, etc. Don't try to shoot off-hand.

4. Sights are whatever you prefer, scopes, open/iron, reddot, doesn't really matter unless you plan to take 100-200 yard shots, then I'd use a scope.

5. Buy a pistol with a good trigger with no creep. If you think rifles can be pulled left or right from bad trigger control (ratchety, heavy, creep), multiple that times 10 with a pistol.

Additional tip….read some of the articles you can find by Chris Rhodes!
@ChrisRhodes

Strat with a red dot sight or low power scope like a 2x. The lower magnification will make target seem steadier. As you get used to shooting the gun you may want more magnification.

Hunt small game, whatever is abundant and in season. My area it's squirrels, long season and plenty of opportunities to shoot from different field positions. And here lately I've been trying to make a dent in the armadillo population.

Thank you everyone for the advice.

Any chance someone needs .445 super 300 grain xpr

That's factory 300 grain xtp

Back when I started hunting with a handgun it was not popular at all around here. People told me I was crazy, lost my mind, etc. but I hung in there and have been rewarded with many great experiences. Absolutely no one hunted with a handgun in my neck of the woods. I learned by reading articles by the late Bob Milek, J Wayne Fears, Larry Weishuhn and a few others.
Like others have said pick your handgun and practice, practice, practice! Then practice some more! And enjoy a great sport.

41Magnum said:

Back when I started hunting with a handgun it was not popular at all around here. People told me I was crazy, lost my mind, etc. but I hung in there and have been rewarded with many great experiences. Absolutely no one hunted with a handgun in my neck of the woods. I learned by reading articles by the late Bob Milek, J Wayne Fears, Larry Weishuhn and a few others.
Like others have said pick your handgun and practice, practice, practice! Then practice some more! And enjoy a great sport.

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Bob Milek and Larry Weishuhn were the strongest influence on me too.

Don't believe everything you read online. 300 yard shots with an iron sight 454 might not be impossible, but it's definitely irresponsible.

Spend more time practicing than you think you need to, and practice from field positions. Shooting in the field is very different than shooting off a bench.

Keep your shots well within your ability. We have a lot of stands set up for bow hunting that routinely have deer come in to 10-30yd, which is where I started.

Don't start with too much gun. If you're a reloader you can start with whatever you want, but load light. I started with a 454 loaded to 45 Colt levels.

Small game is a great way to practice. I like to spend some time squirrel hunting out of my deer stands prior to deer season. It's a great way to really dial in the mechanics, and at least for me is lower stress than big game hunting. Getting some reps in when buck fever isn't a factor really helps prepare you for when Mr. Big walks by.

There's a handful of handgun field competitions every year, which are a great way to practice too. I shot HHC in Newcastle WY for the first time last year and it's a fantastic match. ABMS outside of Zanesville OH is a great match too.

Use a rest any time you can. There's lots of options that work well. I have a Trifecta rest I got over the summer I plan to use for hunting big ag fields this fall, and a Cole Tac bitty bag that seems to work well out of a stand. Until this year I've been using a game changer style bag, which I think will still be my go to on backpack hunts due to its versatility.

There's not a lot of handgun scopes out there, and most of them suck in one way or another. If you go with a scope beat on hard during the off season. Carry it with you while you're scouting, let it ride around on your tractor or 4 wheeler while you're doing other work, dial up and down an extra turn between targets when you're practicing, stuff like that. If it's going to fail you want it to fail during the off season. Ultradot makes great red dots, and I've never had an issue with them. In my experience Burris's scopes are better than Leupold's.

Like anything, the Indian matters more than the arrow, but make sure you have the best arrow you can get. Most mass produced handguns will need some work done like honing or reaming the cylinders throats to be uniform and a trigger job to get the best performance.

^^^^^
Love my Ultra Dot on my SBH

If you decide to add some range with a Single Shot Specialty Handgun. Have a Harrell Precision Four Port Muzzle Brake installed. I have one on every centerfire Single Shot Handgun Barrel I have except my Super14 223 Rem Barrel. I wish that I had added the Muzzle Brakes earlier on.

Shoot/Practice a lot. I have a Super 14 Barrel in 22LR as well as an XP100 in 22LR. Practicing with a Rimfire you can shoot a great deal without Reloading or costing a fortune in ammunition.
One thing that I like to do for practice stand hunting is to position my handgun off target, then reposition and set up for the shot. You can practice this without firing a shot.

Bob R

Where did you come up with an XP 100 rimfire? Had a friend build one for himself back in the 70's, it was a major undertaking. He used it for IHMSA unlimited rimfire. I absolutely loved that gun.