Story by Shane Jahn

Exactly what is a hunting handgun? To answer that question we must gather a few answers to some obvious queries.

One being, what are we hunting? If we are hunting animals the size of squirrels, rabbits, and prairie dogs our answer will most likely be a rimfire or one of the smaller centerfire calibers. That doesn’t mean larger bores utilizing lighter loads can’t be used for some of those tasks, as they certainly can.   In the case of the prairie dog, we aren’t concerned with meat conservation so some real-world practice with our larger hunting handguns might be the order of the day.

Following the question of “what are we hunting” is a need to know how much power is required in a cartridge. It’s better to have more than less necessary to quickly kill the animal being shot.  This requires proper bullets propelled with enough velocity to ensure sufficient penetration and bullet performance.

Our bullet might be a wadcutter used to dump a plump cotton tail or a jacketed hollow point requiring a bit of speed to ensure bullet expansion and penetration. Whatever the case, pairing the right cartridge of ample power and a good bullet to the game being hunted is important. This importance increases proportionately as the size of game animals increases. If it’s a critter that fights back, you might want to step it up another notch or two!

Much of today’s quality ammunition and enhanced bullet technology have negated some of the taboo once associated with hunting with certain cartridges in the past and this goes for both traditional rifle and handgun rounds. Years ago, there weren’t nearly as many options in the way of quality ammunition that a deer hunter would want to employ in cartridges like the .357 Magnum, much less the .38 Special. Today there are.

Some writers once declared the .45 Colt as inadequate as a hunting round and with the old conical bullets at mediocre speed, this was probably true. Stout guns and good ammunition have changed that. The .45 Colt is one of the most versatile rounds we have. I shudder at the thought, but if I could only own one revolver, a strong single action chambered in .45 Colt would likely be the one I would pick.

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