[kirk edwards]

With extra heavy loads, is a .44 bullet shot from a Super Redhawk 7.5" barrel enough to hunt elk effectively? I know rifles are better, but for a handgun is a Super Redhawk with that barrel and caliber sufficient to hunt elk with some reasonable success if I shoot straight enough and accurately enough?

 

[Big Bore]

Use something like a 240-300 gr. hard cast LFN or WLN bullet and keep your range short, 50-75 yards or less, and you can take an elk quite nicely with the .44. Hone up on your tracking skills because it is not going to drop in its tracks unless you make a CNS shot but it will certainly make a clean kill.

 

[Flat Top]

Kirk; PM me if you would! FT

 

[simcoe]

By "extra heavy" do you mean heavier bullets or charge weights? Elk are a big animal but they are still considered a thin skinned animal.. A good 240 grain bullet at 1200fps will do the job. As with a rifle, shot placement is the important part. I know a fella who has killed many Elk with a .243. I don't advocate that, but it has certainly worked for him.

 

[jwp475]

With extra heavy loads, is a .44 bullet shot from a Super Redhawk 7.5" barrel enough to hunt elk effectively? I know rifles are better, but for a handgun is a Super Redhawk with that barrel and caliber sufficient to hunt elk with some reasonable success if I shoot straight enough and accurately enough?

I have a friend that has killed several Elk with a 44 mag.

 

[Ole1830]

I would practice a lot.

It's just easier to be consistent with a rifle vs a pistol.

Try to use something in the 270-300 grain weight for bullets. A 240 will probably do the job, but you owe it to the animal that you're hunting to be as humane as possible with your kill.

Also practice with some shooting sticks if you can.

 

[JPaulF]

Now, I have learned my something new for today. I was not aware that anyone would hunt elk with a pistol or that it was acceptable to do so. Never seen a magazine article about it, either.

 

[broom_jm]

Handguns don't kill elk; people do! If you hunt with a 44 Magnum like you would with a Matthews compound bow, there isn't a reason in the world you can't harvest the biggest elk on the planet with a handgun. Factory ammo would probably work just fine, but if you're going to challenge yourself to harvest an elk with a revolver, take the time to work up a really accurate handload with a heavier, well-designed bullet from BTB! Most important of all, just like the archery tackle, get as much practice as possible.

Lots of elk have been taken with handguns and the 44RM has accounted for most of 'em.

 

[MikeG]

Handgun hunting is like bow hunting in that the biggest limitation will always be range.

Can you get close? How far will it run after being hit? Those are the key questions.

I have put a 185gr. FNGC bullet, from a .357 Mag, through both shoulders of an elk that was down but not out. They aren't armor-plated, but they can run a long way after the hit.

 

[don44]

I have killed several elk with a 44 magnum. It will do it if you do your part !

 

[aryfrosty]

Huh?

With extra heavy loads, is a .44 bullet shot from a Super Redhawk 7.5" barrel enough to hunt elk effectively? I know rifles are better, but for a handgun is a Super Redhawk with that barrel and caliber sufficient to hunt elk with some reasonable success if I shoot straight enough and accurately enough?

No, but if you'll hunt 'em for it things should work out...(sorry, o'l devil got me there.)

 

[hntfsh]

Ditto to the previous posts,I have friends that shot moose with the 44

 

[BarkBuster20]

Get close, people kill brown bears every year with .44 mags. Id get some good 300 grain bullets though, maybe go for a double lung shot, should leave a nice blood trail too. People kill elk every year with spears, thrown by hand, just depends on what limitations you want. If you stick with hunting the timber, the fact that your using a pistol shouldnt have any bearing on your success. My last two elk could have been killed with archery, or pistol, i was happy to have a rifle though.

 

[kirk edwards]

Great comments, keep 'em comin'

Thank you for the great feedback so far!

 

[Bill M]

With extra heavy loads, is a .44 bullet shot from a Super Redhawk 7.5" barrel enough to hunt elk effectively? I know rifles are better, but for a handgun is a Super Redhawk with that barrel and caliber sufficient to hunt elk with some reasonable success if I shoot straight enough and accurately enough?

Hey Kirk... are you thinking of handloading or working with just factory stuff? You get lots of options with both.

 

[Lost River]

This mid sized bull fell to a single round from my 5" Model 29 at a distance of roughly 120 or so yards. He He took a couple stagger steps and tipped over.

 

[TMan]

Handguns don't kill elk; people do! If you hunt with a 44 Magnum like you would with a Matthews compound bow.

If you shoot a Hoyt, (it's good for at least 10yds farther )

If you hunt elk with a bow, I have, you immediately know you have distance issues that you compensate for with hunting skills. That incredibly boring "shot placement" thing is very real.

If you know your elk movements, and shoot well enough to land a bullet where it kills at the ranges you will take a shot, the .44M from a handgun or rifle is legitimate and effective.