I wasn’t always a handgun guy. Growing up my family had shotguns, muzzleloaders, and the occasional varmint rifle. No one had any interest in pistols or any kind of handgun. Guns were more or less tools and used for hunting. No one besides me ever found the need to hunt with a handgun.
I was 22 and deeply in love with Thompson Center Contenders and Encores, all in rifle or carbine configuration. A good friend, and also a handgunner, said I couldn’t have a Contender collection without a Contender pistol, so he sent me a “Super 14” barrel chambered in 223 Remington and a grip and forearm set to start me out with. I put the barrel and grips on a bare receiver I had, attached a scope, and headed to the farm to shoot it. I couldn’t hit anything! That barrel came off went in the closet for a few weeks until I decided to give it another try. Now equipped with a six inch Harris bipod and a small rear bag, I was ready to try again. I shot a few to get my scope on paper. From a bench at 100 yards, I shot a small, ragged one hole group. I couldn’t believe it! I was hooked!
More pistol barrels for the Contender came and I started leaving the rifle at home on my groundhog outings. I started following more handgunners online and reading books and articles from all the big names in the handgun world. Larry Kelly and JD Jones hunted the world with Contenders like I was familiar with, along with other guns. Ernie Bishop shooting distances I couldn’t believe with his bolt action XP-100s and Chris Rhodes building his FrankenRuger revolvers. I wanted to try them all and before too long, I had an XP-100 and a pile of revolvers to shoot too.
After shooting all types of handguns; revolvers are what I’m most passionate about. I think a big part of it was the history and ties to the west I found interesting. My first revolver was a Ruger Single Seven 327 Federal. Reading more about Ruger led me to the original “old model” Single Sixes, which in turn led me to Colt’s Single Action Army, which had tons of history with it. Eventually I made it to Elmer Keith’s writings and the 44 magnum story and the history of Smith & Wesson. I read old articles about the Harvey Kay Chuck converted revolvers that lead to S&W’s 22 Jet, which got me into customs like Linebaugh, Bowen, and Reeder. The more I read, the more revolvers I needed.
The last two years have given me a lot more shooting time and experience with handguns, which gave me the confidence to take them hunting.
There have been countless handgunners that influenced me along the way and got me excited about hunting with a handgun. I have since taken several groundhogs with Ruger single actions, XP-100, and Contender and two deer with a Dan Wesson 44. I’m not too sure what kind of handgunning adventure I’ll find myself in next, but I can only hope to gain experience and help further the sport of hunting with a handgun.
About the author:
I’ve been a mechanic/technician at a local agriculture equipment dealership for a little over 12 years. Hunting has always been a part of life and something I have enjoyed since I was a kid. I got into handguns in my early twenties and now hunt with them as well as collect. I handload all the ammo I shoot and particularly enjoy Dan Wesson, Smith & Wesson, and Ruger single action revolvers.