Handgun Hunting: 11 Best Hunting Revolver Options (2023)

Updated 10/17/2023For those who are reading my byline, let me introduce myself. I’m a handgun hunter, or more specifically, a revolver hunter, who enjoys getting up close and personal with the game being pursued. I’m a handgun hunter who loves to get up close and personal. I’m a big-bore addict who is impervious to heavy reloads. When given this task, I was unable to narrow down my collection of hunting revolvers to just 10. It took a lot of soul-searching to narrow down my list to 10 revolvers and justify my choices. I’ve listed these revolvers and with each choice, I’ve explained why it was chosen (I didn’t let emotions cloud my judgment). Here’s the list in ascending order. The Starter Pistol is the Ruger GP100 in.357 Magnum. I know that this is not technically (or literally) a big bore revolver but I would be remiss to not include what I believe to be a great starter pistol for whitetail-sized game. The double-action GP has a medium-sized frame that is easy to carry and heavy enough to absorb the recoil. This is a great way to introduce a neophyte hunter to revolvers. I use open sights because I limit the ranges that I hunt with a.357 magnum. Gun Down More Handgun hunting Info: I’ve always thought of the.357 magnum as being right up against the marginal line. But placement is key, no matter what kind of hunting tool you have. And, loaded correctly, a.357 magnum provides enough “oomph”. The.357 Magnum is a powerful enough cartridge to take down any deer. This is the revolver that I always start beginners with. I would only suggest that the shooter and anyone accompanying him/her wear hearing protection because the.357 has a reputation for being a loud gun. Mild to Wild – BFR.44 MagnumYou have many options when looking for a.44 magnum for hunting. Magnum Research’s.44 Magnum BFR is the most versatile option. Every BFR revolver comes with a five-shot cylinder that is oversized. The.44 Magnum has a lot of meat in the chambers. This allows for illegal levels of fun, if desired. This BFR is constructed from stainless steel (17-4PH). It has a short frame. The five-shot cylinder has a freewheeling pawl and is unfluted, counterbored, and features a freewheeling pawl for easy loading and unloading. I had this one fitted with a short barrel (4 5/8 inches) and topped it off with an Ultradot reflexive red-dot site. Magnum Research’s Bisley grip frame is also included, which is a must for when recoil levels soar. The short barrel is not a reason to think this gun will spend more time in a holster. This is my primary hunting gun because it is so accurate. It is also fast to fire and is great for quick follow-up shots. I consider the.44 Magnum to be a threshold round, as the recoil can be heavy enough to deter many people from buying one. The Best of the X-Frames is the Smith & Wesson S&W 500This gun is one of the emotional choices. Its lethal functionality is undeniable. This revolver is my personal favorite of all the oversized X frames available from Smith & Wesson. It’s the most attractive and has the best handling. It is a good handler and carries well. Even when loaded to the proper.500 Smith levels this one doesn’t abuse shooters… much. This configuration is the best choice if you want a double action.500 Smith & Wesson Magnum. Wheelgun Perfection – Ruger Turnbull Bisley (Lipseys).45 Colt This revolver really speaks to me. Doug Turnbull’s legendary color case-hardening on the exterior is a big help. The revolver has everything right, from the unfluted barrel to the rosewood Bisley grips to the 5 1/2-inch barrel and the.45 Colt caliber. It’s a full-sized single-action Ruger so you can play in the “Ruger only”.45 Colt range that hovers around 30,000 psi. This is one of the very few hunting revolvers that don’t have an optic because it would ruin the look. This is my ideal configuration for a Ruger Single-Action revolver. Ruger often repeats these dealer-exclusive runs, especially if they are popular. The.45 Colt at this level is serious medicine for big game.7. The genius of Dick Casull – Freedom Arms Model 8.454 CasullThis is a no brainer. This revolver is designed by Dick Casull and chambered with the high-pressure wonder caliber bearing his name, the.454 Casull. The FA83 is a revolver that can be described as “premium” right out of the box. This field-grade revolver is equipped with a 6-inch cylinder and a counterbored 5-shot barrel. The FA83 is a tank-like weapon that can withstand the abuse a Casull.454 can dish out. The grip frame is excellent for controlling the large recoil. It’s a big step up from the.44 magnum. It has taken every known game animal with ease. The Undisputed Heavyweight Champ of the World: BFR S&W Magnum I believe that single-action revolvers can handle cartridges with a lot of power, pressure and recoil. The.500 Smith & Wesson is by far the most powerful cartridge. This one is built on the stretched frame BFR platform and, while it may look ungainly, it balances and handles extremely well with a 7 1/2 inch barrel. The BFR is a good choice for a revolver that can safely handle.500 S&W cartridges. The Bisley grip frame reduces recoil when using top-end loads. In handgun terms, this one has a lot of horsepower – a necessity when the game you’re hunting weighs tons. This is the huckleberry for pachyderm. Ergonomic perfection: Smith & Wesson Model 29 classicThis is both a nostalgic choice and a practical one for me. I’ve owned a number Model 29s and Model 629s throughout my adult life and I will probably always own at least one. It’s not only beautiful, but its proportions are just right, it feels great in the hand and is generally accurate. The factory trigger is also among the best. It looks great, I repeat. This is one of the most difficult revolvers to beat ergonomically, period. I wanted to buy a current production revolver and could not find one on the used market. I then turned to the manufacturer and ordered a throwback “Classic”, 4-inch barreled model. To preserve my Model 29s/629s I don’t overload any of them. The 29 is a great deer rifle with midrange loads. Speed King: BFR Precision Centre.460 S&W MagnumThis is the most versatile cartridge/revolver combination on my list. This revolver can be used for any handgun hunting purpose you can imagine. It’s true that you can shoot.45 Colt or.454 Casull through your.460. But the real reason to own a revolver is to have one. It can shoot flat, but that’s not the best way to describe it. But it will undoubtedly deliver a smackdown on anything you use it with – as long as you choose the right bullets. The.460’s high-velocity capability requires tough bullets. I went one step further and ordered mine from Magnum Research Precision Center with the features I wanted: black Micarta Bisley handles, a 7 1/2 inch barrel, silky smooth trigger, and–the biggest difference from a catalog gun—-a black-nitride finishing. Whether you’re hunting deer at 200 yards or closing in on a grizzly at 50 yards, this is the do-it-all hunting revolver combination–accurate and lethal.3. Optic Options Ruger Super-Redhawk.480 RugerThis is a revolver that either gets a lot of love or hate from the community. There seems to be little in between. I can’t for the life of me understand. It’s not just the styling that is attractive. The Redhawk is also a sibling of this model. The frame extension on the cylinder’s front and the grip frame, which is a GP100 copy, are the most noticeable differences. The frame extension, which is aesthetically questionable, is where the real beauty lies. Ruger decided that the frame was a better optic mounting point than the barrel. It developed a system of scallops on the frame, and corresponding scope rings to make the mount strong, stable, and easy to use. Two screws will get you back into the game if your scope or red dot fails in the field. Pure function. This is my favorite Super Redhawk chambered in.480 Ruger. It is the perfect combination of power and accuracy, and is designed for real-world use. This is the revolver that I used to kill a very large water buffalo while in Argentina. !Muy bueno!2. Buffalo Gun: BFR 500 JRHThis choice was both functional and emotional for me. This revolver is built on BFR’s short frame platform and has a barrel of 5 1/2 inches. My buffalo gun (I call it that because I used it on a Cape buffalo in South Africa last year) is chambered in .500 JRH–the brainchild of gunsmith/builder/designer Jack Huntington.In essence, it’s a shortened .500 S&W (from a 1.6- to a 1.4-inch case), utilizing the same bullet diameter as the parent case. This revolver is powerful and accurate, and I can point and shoot moving targets without even trying. It’s the only hunting revolver I feel “one” with. This is the revolver to choose if you’re going to be doing a lot of heavy lifting and don’t want the weight of a large revolver. The New Kid: S&W Model 350The Smith & Wesson Model 350 was only announced in August 2022. At the time of writing, not much information is available beyond what the company has provided. If you didn’t know from the name, this gun is primarily known for its.350 Legend cartridge. The straight-walled cartridge, which was introduced in 2019 primarily for deer hunter in states that do not allow the use of bottles-necked ammunition, is a great option. It has been gaining in popularity since then, but was only used in rifles until now. Smith & Wesson has released the Model 350 which allows handgun hunters to use.350 Legend. The revolver is built on S&W’s large X-Frame and it is a seven-shot DA/SA revolver that uses moon clips. It comes with a 7.5″ barrel, satin stainless steel finish, and a Hogue rubberized grip. It’s too early to tell how popular this pistol is going to be, but at least it’s an interesting addition. Editor’s Note: The original version of this article appeared in the October issue of Gun Digest the Magazine. Next Step: Get a FREE Printable Target PackEnhance the accuracy of your shooting with our 62-MOA Targets. Crafted in collaboration with Storm Tactical for accuracy and versatility.Subscribe to the Gun Digest email newsletter and get your downloadable target pack sent straight to your inbox. Stay up to date with the latest information on firearms.