Hunting Deer With a Handgun
The most common handgun hunt, from cartridge choice to shot.
Field Notes · The Field
Handgun Hunting: A Beginner's Guide
By the Almanac Editorial Desk · Jun 10, 2026
What handgun hunting is, what it asks of you, and how to start the right way. A handgun makes the hunt harder and closer, and asks more of your marksmanship and your ethics. Start here.
Read the guide →I.
All cartridges →Caliber & Cartridge Guide
Match the cartridge to the game and the range. A quick reference, not load data, start here, then read the full guides.
| Cartridge | Power class | Typical game | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ·22 LR | Rimfire | Small game, pests | Small game only; never for big game |
| ·357 Magnum | Light/medium | Deer, close range | Deer-capable up close in skilled hands |
| 10mm Auto | Medium | Deer, hog | Good to moderate range with hard cast or premium loads |
| ·41 Magnum | Medium | Deer, hog | An underrated, easy-shooting medium-game cartridge |
| .44 Magnum | Medium/large | Deer, black bear, hog | The benchmark handgun-hunting cartridge |
| .45 Colt +P | Medium/large | Deer, hog | Heavy loads in strong revolvers take larger game |
| .454 Casull | Large | Large & dangerous game | Big step up in power and recoil |
| .460 / .500 S&W | Largest | The biggest game | Maximum power and reach; heavy recoil, specialized |
| Single-shot rounds | Varies | Extended range | Bottleneck rifle-class rounds reach farther than revolvers |
General guidance only, not load data. Match the cartridge to the game and the range, take only shots within your effective range, and confirm the legal calibers and methods where you hunt.
II.
All →The Quarry
Game species, where the handgun excels, and the ethics of a clean, humane shot.
Hunting Wild Hogs With a Handgun
Tough, close, and exciting: what hogs demand of a handgun hunter.
Black Bear With a Handgun
Big-bore territory: cartridge, range, and respect for the animal.
Small Game and Predators With a Handgun
Where the .22 and the magnum revolver both find a place.
III.
All →The Iron
Revolvers, single-shots, optics, and the gear that makes a hunting handgun.
The Best Revolvers for Hunting
What makes a revolver a hunting revolver, and the classics that earned the name.
Single-Shot Hunting Pistols
The break-action and bolt pistols that turn a handgun into a short rifle.
Optics for Handgun Hunting
Scopes, red dots, and irons, and how to choose for the hunt you take.
Holsters and Carry for the Hunt
Carrying a big handgun and optic safely and comfortably in the field.
IV.
All →The Cartridge
Calibers, cartridges, and matching the load to the game and the range.
The Best Calibers for Handgun Hunting
Matching cartridge to game, from small game to the largest North American animals.
The .44 Magnum for Hunting
The cartridge that built handgun hunting, and what it still does best.
Big-Bore Revolver Cartridges, Explained
The .454, .460, and .500: what the magnums buy you, and what they cost.
The 10mm and .357 Magnum for Hunting
Two lighter cartridges, their honest limits, and the game they suit.
V.
All →The Field
Getting started, marksmanship, effective range, regulations, and fair-chase ethics.
Handgun Hunting: A Beginner's Guide
What handgun hunting is, what it asks of you, and how to start the right way.
Shot Placement and Effective Range
The two things that decide a clean, humane harvest with a handgun.
Regulations and Fair-Chase Ethics
Why the law and the ethic matter as much as the shot.
VI.
All →Field to Table
Field dressing, butchering, and cooking the wild game you bring home.
Field Dressing and Butchering Your Game
From the field to the cooler: doing right by the meat.
Wild Game Cooking: The Basics
How to cook lean wild meat so it is tender, safe, and worth the hunt.
Venison Cuts and How to Cook Them
A cut-by-cut guide to deer, from backstrap to shank.
The Almanac field code
Six rules we hunt by
- 1. Safety first. Treat every handgun as loaded. Muzzle, trigger, target, and what is beyond it.
- 2. Know the law. Confirm seasons, licenses, and legal calibers and methods where you hunt.
- 3. Know your range. Take only the shot you can place cleanly, every time, from field positions.
- 4. One clean shot. Pass the low-percentage shot. A quick, humane harvest is the only goal.
- 5. Respect the animal. Track diligently, recover the game, and use the meat.
- 6. Earn it. Practice at the range until the shot is certain before you take it in the field.
This is the short version. Read the full code on our Ethics & Safety page.