Small Game and Predators With a Handgun
Not every handgun hunt is about big bores and big game. Some of the most enjoyable handgun hunting happens with a .22 on small game and a revolver on predators.
Handgun hunting is not only about magnums and big game. At the other end of the sport sits some of its most accessible and rewarding hunting: a .22 pistol on squirrels and rabbits, and a capable revolver on predators. These hunts demand precision over power, and they sharpen exactly the marksmanship that makes a better big-game hunter.
The other end of the sport
Where big-game handgun hunting is about delivering enough power at close range, small-game and predator hunting is about placing a small bullet precisely. The challenge shifts from recoil management to fine accuracy, and the cost of entry drops sharply. A good rimfire pistol and a box of inexpensive ammunition open a whole season of low-pressure, high-skill hunting.
Small game and the .22
For squirrels, rabbits, and other small game, the .22 Long Rifle pistol is the classic tool, with the .22 Magnum and .17 rimfires offering a bit more reach. The aim is precise, often head shots to preserve the meat, which makes small game an outstanding accuracy exercise. A red dot or scope helps on these tiny targets, as covered in our optics guide. The meat is excellent, and the hunting is pure.
Predators
Predator hunting, for coyotes and the like, can also be done with a handgun, and it is a genuine test. A flat-shooting rimfire or a centerfire handgun works depending on the quarry and range, and some hunters take predators with the same big revolver they hunt deer with, as demanding practice. Where fur matters, a large bore is destructive, so many predator hunters favor smaller, faster cartridges. As always, confirm legal methods and species rules where you hunt.
A pure test of skill
Small-game and predator hunting with a handgun is, above all, a marksmanship game, and that is its charm. It demands the same fundamentals as big-game hunting, a steady position, a precise sight picture, a controlled trigger press, with the volume turned up by tiny targets. Spend a season at it and your big-game shooting will improve. And when you bring home small game, our cooking guides will help you make the most of it.