Hunting Handgun Opinions

[David W Strait]

I am considering another whitetail handgun. I have owned and harvested WV whitetail with a wide array of handguns and calibers until several years ago when the local GW saw me with a deer and we stopped to chat. He liked the Savage Striker 22-250 but informed me it was not legal for deer. Seems you must use a .243 caliber or larger. We laughed about it how appeared to be effective despite legislative nonsense. He was very good about it all. The stupidity of a law that says I can use a 3" barrel 9mm to hunt deer but not a 15" 22-250 soured me for a while but alas...time heals.
So, I got rid of my Strikers but I have an Encore pro hunter with several barrels, none of which are currently legal for deer.
My question is do I get an encore barrel in a legal cartridge, likely .243 since I have several rifles around in that round. Or do I look for a bolt action? Encores tote easier but don't stabilize as well for rested shots.
I have tripods and bipods and like to stretch range limits within reason.
Also interested in what you use for optics on such guns?
Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[KYODE]

A custom barreled encore in 243 would sound pretty good to me, although I actually prefer the contender for hunting.
Please explain what you mean the encore doesn't stabilize as well??

Wvhitman hunts West Virginia with all of the above. Personal preference would come into play as much as anything.

 

[Mrvmax]

I use pistol scopes on mine but there are people here who use rifle scopes. The pistol scopes have become harder to find and have gotten pricey. My old Nikon is holding up well on my Freedom Arms in 454. I think most of mine are Burris but I also have one Leupold.

 

[just_jon]

I think I know where you are coming from. The shape of the factory encore pistol forend is narrow and rounded which can a challenge shooting off conventional front rest bags or a saddle. My Shadetree front rest cannot adjust down that narrow, so rather than purchase a new front bag, I run a rifle forend on my pistol barrels at the range. For hunting, I still use the factory forend as I prefer the sleeker lines. Also, my bandolero rig with not accommodate the beefier rifle forend.

 

[Ernie]

"I have tripods and bipods and like to stretch range limits within reason."

What kind of distances are you considering?
TC's can shoot good-No doubt.
Your bolt action specialty pistols have some advantages: Faster locktime, Free-Floated barrel (you don't have to be as concerned with differences in pressure and or location of pressure on the forend as in the break open.
You always need to concerned, and then confirm, if shooting the gun differently is going to change POI.
The Choice is Yours...What Do You Want?
The Encore is going to weigh less than a bolt action pistol typically.
You can make a XP pretty light though if you want.
What cartridge are you considering?
With a good muzzle brake or suppressor you can use a rifle scope safely, and increase the ease of use.

 

[muledeerhntr]

I think a 243 in a T/C would be perfect. I had a 308 contender and it was not enjoyable to shoot as it didn't have a brake.

 

[ChrisRhodes]

For hunting The TC platforms excel at 450 yards and in. Within that range I see little difference between a TC and xp. Beyond that the xp starts to win out.

I have pretty much ditched all the XP in favor of the TC due to the size and weight of the XP.

With a good muzzle brake I'll use a rifle scope. This is possible with most of the short action chamberings.

Boomers I use a pistol scope.

Out to 300 yards I don't see much difference for hunting between a pistol and rifle scope.

Some new pistol scopes are in the works from a few new companies. That's about all the hints I can give right now!

 

[David W Strait]

Thanks for the replies. So far it looks like T/C is ahead in the polls.
To answer a few questions.
I think the T/C rest forend question was covered better than I could. Never thought about a rifle forend....i like that.
Range will probably be 400 and in...in increments.
Glass is still up in the air. I used Burris and Nikon pistol scopes before on everything from Strikers to 30-30 contenders and a 25-06 encore.
That 25-06 was just too much to handle. The 30-30 had a factory brake and is likely the reason I can't hear but this constant ringing in my ears. I have always held that 30-30 made a better pistol round than a rifle round.
Ok next question. 243 vs 6.5cm in a pistol? Any opinions?

 

[Upsidedownjack]

Along longtime ago, shooting a TC, Contender in 7MM TCU, I had stopped and questioned by a Colo Wildlife Officer! Wanting to see what I was Hunting with, I showed him the Contender! First thing "He Said" was that the 223 cal WAS NOT LEGAL FOR ANY TYPE OF HUNTING IN COLO! And was getting out of His pickup to Write or AREST Me for Breaking the "law"! Had to Laugh, and asked if the 7MM would be LEGAL? He said Yes! Then showed him the Bullet in front of the case! 139 Gr SPBT Speedy little bugger. Did Kill a Cow Elk that year @ Aprox 125yds! Kinda P—Ed him off! Had to look for another "law" breaker!
Used the same gun/round for targets out to 500 Meters! Also used anXP100 chambered in 7 BR. Same but different! Deadly, both!

 

[Ricky C]

Hey, if you're even a little bit handy with woodworking, making a better forearm for a TC pistol is pretty easy.
Take Care

 

[Ernie]

Range will probably be 400 and in...in increments.
Glass is still up in the air. I used Burris and Nikon pistol scopes before on everything from Strikers to 30-30 contenders and a 25-06 encore.
That 25-06 was just too much to handle. The 30-30 had a factory brake and is likely the reason I can't hear but this constant ringing in my ears. I have always held that 30-30 made a better pistol round than a rifle round.
Ok next question. 243 vs 6.5cm in a pistol? Any opinions?

You should ALWAYS use hearing protection (even when firing one shot while hunting) whether the barrel is braked or not.
Even if it is 28" long, use hearing protection, unless you have a good suppressor.
Get what You want...
If going with a 243 Win, I would use a fast twist barrel (7.5T to 8T), so you can use, if you choose, the heavier for caliber bullets.
I would go with a 8T with the 6.5 Creed. If I went with the 260 Remington, I would go 8T as well.
Either will work fine for what you want.
I would go with a custom barrel to get the twist rate you want with the 243 Win.
A 6mm Creedmoor barrel may comes with a 8T...You would need to check.

 

[Sergeant Stadanko]

.338 Federal is an excellent choice in the Encore! Very little recoil, and an excellent performer on pretty much any game. Just my two cents.

 

[Ernie]

@David W Strait ,
When looking at cartridge/bullet options, consider your impact velocity at your max distance for hunting (400 yards), with the bullet you choose to hunt with. Your impact velocity needs to be high enough at your max distance to work properly.
Not all bullets have the same minimum impact velocity-Do your homework.

 

[WV Hitman]

I have A LOT of Contenders, Encores, & XP-100s from 6mm AI to .416 Taylor & revolvers from .357 to .500 Mag. All of these work within the limits of the cartridge. The older I get the less I like to chase deer so my primary guns are .325 WSM, .375/.284 XP, .475 Linebaugh, .500 mag, .454Casull. 98% of the deer shot with these guns don't move. I do use my little guns some and my .300 Whisper (subs only), but in the end I love big holes & recoil in my guns. I always have my 6.5/.284 XP with me for anything over 400 yds.
I've "heard" 45 gr. Lehigh Chaos bullets work quite well in .22-250s.