Last updated September 2026 · By Nick Hall, handgun hunter who has taken deer, hog, and small game with revolvers and bolt-action pistols
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- Treat every gun as loaded
- Point the muzzle in a safe direction
- Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot
- Know your target and what’s beyond
Quick Answer: The Taurus Raging Hunter is the best hunting handgun you can buy in 2026, a .44 Magnum (or .454 Casull) ported revolver with an integral Picatinny rail standard, factory porting, and the kind of accuracy and recoil management you usually pay twice as much for.
Best premium hunting handgun: the Smith & Wesson Model 500, the most powerful production revolver in the world. Best Glock hunter: the Glock 40 MOS in 10mm, optics-ready for woods carry. Best break-action: the Thompson/Center Encore. Best heavy-duty Ruger: the Super Redhawk in .44 Magnum or .454 Casull. Best ultra-power: the Magnum Research BFR for big-bore single-action work.
The biggest mistake hunting handgun buyers make is buying for cartridge name and never practicing past 25 yards. Hunting handguns demand deliberate practice at realistic field distances (50-100 yards) with a rest. Plan on at least 100 rounds of dedicated long-distance practice with your hunting load before taking it into the field. Every hunting handgun on this list was tested across at least 100 rounds of premium hunting ammo.
How we tested: Every pick here is ranked against our testing methodology. Minimum round counts, accuracy and reliability protocols, the failures that disqualify a gun.
Best Hunting Handguns at a Glance
| Image | Product | Detail | Price |
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Taurus Raging Hunter |
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See Live Prices |
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Smith & Wesson Model 500 |
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See Live Prices |
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Glock G40 |
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Price |
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Magnum Research BFR |
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See Live Prices |
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Desert Eagle |
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Price |
Table of Contents
Intro
Handgun hunting is back in fashion. In part it’s thanks to weird and disparate gun control laws and regulations that combine to outlaw rifles at set times.
So what do you do? Well you could stay home with the family and wait for rifle season. You could cross State lines like The Bandit with a trunkful of bootlegged beer, or you could join the ever growing throng of sidearm hunters
They used to be an odd breed, old colonial types or Grizzly Adams mountain men who would prefer to rip the animal’s spine out, Predator-style. That’s just not true anymore.
There are all kinds of firearms to suit your budget, ambition and physical strength. We’ve gone for the big guns this time around, we’ll do the hunting small game another day.
Here are the best hunting handguns that we could find…
1. Taurus Raging Hunter
- Caliber: 44 Magnum
- Barrel: 8.375 inch
- Total: 3.44lb
- Capacity: 6
Taurus didn’t just do better with its latest pistol. It took inspiration from the market leaders, blended that with traditional Taurus values like price and came up with the Taurus Raging Hunter.
Whether it’s for hunting or just for range shooting, you’ll honestly love the Raging Hunter from the moment you lay eyes on it.
Now this isn’t new technology, not by any stretch of the imagination. S&W has been churning out guns that don’t look a million miles away from these Raging Hunter large frame revolvers for years. They just happen to cost a lot more.
The Raging Hunter is half a pound lighter than the Taurus Raging Bull that was also a staple of the handgun hunting scene, and the trigger pull is smoother.
The lightweight shroud with the custom porting and integral compensator and gas expansion chamber is certainly a major factor. All this stuff never used to work together quite so convincingly.
Where to Buy 44 Magnum Ammo
Get great deals on specialist hunting cartridges and home defense special hollow points and hunting gear here:
- Lucky Gunner – Massive stocks and hard to find ammo.
- Firearms Depot – Great ammo deals on this great American caliber.
2. Smith and Wesson S&W500
- Caliber: S&W 500 Magnum .50 Cal.
- Capacity: 5 Rounds
- Barrel length: 7.5 inch
- Total Length: 15 inch
- Weight: 4.38lb
This absolute beast of an S&W mag handgun is perfect for hunting big game. Or any size of animal. Except small game hunting, it will just turn them into pink mist.
As far as power goes, these S&W Mag X-frame hunting revolvers can send it is as far and as hard as you ever reasonably need to go on public lands in the USA. Or anywhere else for that matter…
Smith and Wesson claims the S&W500 Magnum Smith & Wesson Performance Center model is the most powerful production revolver in the world. And it probably is, if we ignore the BFR as non-production, with a velocity of around 1800fps and 2000lb/ft of muzzle energy.
If you’re large predator hunting, or taking big bear and Mule Deer, or hunting elk, & moose, this is your huckleberry. For smaller deer hunting and deer sized game, it’s more than enough.
Where to Buy S&W 500 Magnum Ammo
Not too many places stock these $3.50-$4.00 bullets. But we have some for you here:
- Firearms Depot – Buy big bore Hornady and Magtech hollow points. S&W hunting ammo.
- Lucky Gunner – .500 S&W hunting cartridges. Hornady Custom 500 grain bullet and more.
3. Glock G40 MOS Configuration
- Caliber: 10mm
- Barrel Length: 6 inch
- Total Length: 9.49 inch
- Weight: 1.76lb
- Capacity: 15+1/10+1
You can go hunting with a Glock these days. In fact the Glock 40 has emerged as an unlikely hero of the handgun hunting community.
It’s thanks to the fact that it’s a lightweight pistol, accurate, generates serious energy and pretty much always goes bang with each trigger pull. High capacity magazines mean cumulative damage becomes a real factor with a dangerous game animal as well.
Is one or two rounds of big bore ammo or a Glock mag dump the answer? Like most things in the firearms world, that’s a polarising question. Both can work though.
This long-slide Glock is a beefed up version of the G17 or G34 chambered in 10mm ammunition. For the complete lineup of 10mm hunting, bear-defense, and duty pistols, read our best 10mm pistols roundup. And it can inflict some major damage on most things North America can send your way, especially with specialist 10mm hunting rounds for hunting deer & feral hogs.
4. Magnum Research BFR
- Caliber: 45-70 Government
- Capacity: 5 Rounds
- Barrel Length: 7.5 inch
- Total Length: 15 inch
- Weight: 4.3lb
Do you spend your life leading secret missions to Jurassic Park? Or wandering the Savannah? you’re going to need an absolute hand cannon. For them, what could still be the most powerful handgun in the world is waiting…
Most of us just don’t need this kind of firearm. Once the novelty has worn off, the stainless steel Magnum Research BFR will become one of those collector’s pieces guns that you’re happy to own but don’t fire that much anymore.
5. Desert Eagle XIX 50 AE
- Price: $1,699-$2,200+
- Caliber: .50 AE
- Capacity: 7+1 Rounds
- Barrel Length: 6 inch
- Total: 10.75 inch
- Weight: 4.5lb
This is often derided as a movie
Now you’ll end up stripping these semi automatics regularly, and it gunges up like a nasal teenager with flu. But the Deadpool 2 gun certainly has the horsepower to take down a Whitetail or feral hogs.
All the motion happens at the rear, too, and the fixed front barrel section is all rail up top. So you can fit a proper scope without worrying about the glass lunching itself on your fast moving slide.
It’s basic, agricultural and over-engineered. It’s also fun.
The Desert Eagle is too big and clumsy for the real world, even as a home defense gun. But as a gun for taking down proper sized animals, it just about makes sense here. big bear and Mule Deer are both in its wheelhouse, and you could argue a case for using one for pest control.
6. Smith & Wesson 460 XVR
- Price: $1,816.99
- Caliber: .460 S&W Magnum
- Capacity: 6 Rounds
- Barrel length: 7.5 inch
- Total: 12.9 inch
- Weight:4.9lb
This is a hunting gun, a competition shooter, a home defense cannon and an ornate custom handgun, all rolled into one. You know it, we know it. The S&W 460 XVR is kind of awesome.
This isn’t a one-trick pony. The matte stainless steel 460 S&W Magnum Smith & Wesson Model 460 XVR is a great choice for an all-round hunter and competition pistol that has taken more deer than you ever will. Its effective range is easily a match for the more powerful pistol too.
7. Dan Wesson Kodiak
- Caliber: 10mm Auto Cartridge
- Capacity: 8+1
- Barrel Length: 6 inch
- Total: 9.75 inch
- Weight: 2.63lb
If you want to go hunting game with a handgun, and you also want to look good, well this could be your answer.
The company made its name producing better Smith and Wesson revolvers. Now it is forging a reputation in the long slide 10mm sector with this 6 inch barrel semi automatic pistol.
You get match grade bushingless barrel, fully adjustable sights and a rail on the dust cover for a laser or weapons light. Also, you get other worldly control of the recoil and supreme accuracy through those rear open sights.
From whitetail hunting to bear defense, personal defense and range work, these Kodiak semi automatics can do it all.
Law enforcement preferred the Colt Delta Elite 10mm as a concealed carry 1911 when it briefly lost faith in 9mm, but this is a better handgun. And you can find some more Dan Wesson handguns here.
8. Nighthawk Custom Korth Mongoose
- Caliber: .357 Magnum
- Barrel Length: 6 inch
- Total Length: 11.02 inch
- Weight: 3.64lb
We love Nighthawk Custom guns round these parts, even if we can’t really justify the cost. They’re made on US soil, by master gunsmiths and they are really aimed at target shooters, but still this is insane money.
Competition shooters swear they are worth it, and that nth degree of engineering does tend to shine through under the spotlight of competition. As a hunting revolver, it would just be an epic thing to own and enjoy.
You get adjustable rear sights and an adjustable front sight on a custom handgun. So you can get really precise with the iron sights or something slicker, and go high-tech when you’re hunting medium size game or turn small game into instant pate with single shots. It is really aimed at the competitive shooting crowd, however, and hunting revolvers tend to be a little more down to Earth and, well, cheaper.
9. Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter
- Caliber: Multi-Caliber – Up to 45/70 Government
- Barrel: 12 inch
- Weight: 3.5lb
- Capacity: 1
Single shot pistols are popular hunting tools thanks to their price and versatility.
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The Thompson Center Arms Encore Pro Hunter is a gun safe in a bag, and you can switch between calibers in a minute. Go big game hunting or bullseye rats. It’s really up to you.
And when you’re tired of medium game hunting with a handgun, you can slot on a stock and turn your single shot pistol into a rifle with adjustable sights. Really that’s a perfect combination.
So if you’re chasing North American black bear, game like deer and hunting turkeys, there are Encore Pro Hunter configurations to suit. And that is cool if single shots are your style with handguns & rifles.
Of course big game hunting with single shot handguns does take some balls, tbh, especially black bears and anything larrger.
10. Christensen Arms Modern Precision Pistol
- Caliber: .308 Winchester
- Barrel Length: 12 inch
- Total Length: 19.5 inch
- Weight: 6lb
- Capacity: 5+1
You either get the Christensen Arms Modern Precision Pistol or you just don’t. It really does feel like an act of subversion deer hunting with a bolt-action AR pistol set-up in .308 Winchester or 6.5 Creedmoor.
Honestly, both those rifle cartridges make the 10mm and 44 Magnum look a little on the puny side as hunting ammo. That’s the benefit of a bolt action handgun.
So if you’re shooting big game and need the extra muzzle velocity at close range, or you’re going long range hunting, then this is the last stop before you switch to a rifle. These are great guns & ammo.
You can obviously get a better grip on this Remington 700 pistol chassis than you can with a 1911.
Then you can fit a sling, a brace, a bi-pod or just about anything else you want, this is an absolute beast of a hunting gun and wildlife management love this bolt action pistol.
Remington started this movement and the pioneering Remington XP100 bolt action is a cult classic. It was always a niche gun, but with State laws proving increasingly restrictive to handgun hunters, well suddenly a market has presented itself for this oddball weapon to hunt deer and big game hunting alike.
The new rules mean these layouts are getting more popular, and who doesn’t like a backpack gun powered by rifle cartridges with their hunting gear?
Use classic iron sights or red dot sights on the Picatinny rail up top.
11. Ruger Super Redhawk
- Caliber: 44 Magnum
- Capacity: 6 Rounds
- Barrel Length: 9.5 inch
- Weight: 3.6lb
Ruger used to be a mountain man’s pocket gun with the infamous Ruger Alaskan and the Ruger Super Redhawk that has ingrained itself into the culture. The Ruger Super Blackhawk, too, is a legendary hunting revolver.
The company is also an expert in hunting small game and the Ruger Mk 4 22 is our undisputed champion of the 22 LR pistol ranks and it’s great for a good shot at much smaller sized game. For rimfire wheelgun options, see our best .22 revolvers.
The double action revolvers are well loved in the handgun hunting and dangerous game communities, and load them with the best Coyote hunting cartridges and the Ruger Super Redhawk is a great tool for the farm. It’s a seriously powerful handgun in S&W Magnum and Casull variants and a good hunting gun.
Simple operation with the long trigger also means these double action pistols are an option for home defense and comes with the classic open sights.
You can, of course, fit more advanced adjustable sights for target shooting or longer range handgun hunting with your great American blue collar handgun. The Ruger Super Redhawk is one of our favorite 44 Magnum revolvers too.
12. Sig Sauer P320 XTEN
- Caliber: 10mm
- Capacity: 15+1 Rounds
- Barrel Length: 5 inch
- Weight: 2.06lb
From a concealed carry gun to hunting deer, the best Coyote hunting guns, hunting whitetail deer and long range target shooting, the new Sig P320 XTEN can do it all and more.
These semi automatics are all rounders rather than out and out hunting pistols, but that is no bad thing honestly. Especially if you like close range hunting and personal defense in one serious package.
Law enforcement carries the compact 320 chambered in 9mm all the time and they are some of the best sellers in America in the more popular caliber. 10mm gives it an added muzzle velocity, kick and a custom handgun feel. Of course, there is that accidental discharge issue that just won’t go away, which is one of the reasons it’s down the bottom. But you either trust them or you don’t and that’s a personal call.
13. Smith & Wesson Performance Center 629: Best Traditional .44 Magnum Hunter
- Caliber: .44 Magnum
- Barrel: 5 or 6.5 inch (Performance Center)
- Capacity: 6
- Action: Stainless N-frame, double/single-action
- Best for: The classic do-everything deer and hog revolver
If you asked a hundred handgun hunters to name one revolver, most would say the Smith & Wesson 629. It is the stainless N-frame .44 Magnum that has put more deer on the ground than any other hunting handgun, and the Performance Center version sharpens it with a tuned action, a chamfered cylinder, and a crisp trigger that makes 75-yard shots realistic. The .44 Magnum hits the sweet spot for handgun hunting: enough power for deer, hog, and black bear, without the punishing recoil of the .460 and .500 X-Frames.
Mount a red dot on the drilled-and-tapped models and it becomes a genuine 100-yard deer gun. It is not the most powerful revolver here and it is not the fanciest, but for the widest range of North American game with a cartridge you can actually practice with, the 629 is the one most hunters should buy first.
Honorable Mentions
The Freedom Arms Model 83 Field Grade is a great hunter, as is the Freedom Arms Model 83 Competition.
Law enforcement agencies loved the Colt Delta Elite 10mm for a while and you could kind of make a case for including that, but more for a concealed carry defensive weapon than hunting Whitetail deer.
We also love the Kimber Super Jagare, but not enough of you do to warrant its inclusion. And that’s a shame…
Best Ammo for Handgun Hunting
We recommend the following dealers for ammo for hunting, as they tend to have the best selection and prices:
- Palmetto State Armory: Great selection, solid prices and bulk deals, as well as regular sales.
- Firearms Depot: Awesome selection and good deals every day.
Related Handgun Guides
- Handgun Buyer’s Guide
- Best .44 Magnum Revolvers
- Best .357 Magnum Revolvers
- Best 10mm Pistols
- Best Websites to Buy Handguns
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best handgun for hunting?
The Smith and Wesson Model 629 in .44 Magnum and the Ruger Super Redhawk are top revolver picks. For semi-autos, the Glock 20 in 10mm and the Desert Eagle in .44 Mag are popular hunting handguns.
What caliber handgun is best for deer hunting?
The .44 Magnum is the classic deer handgun caliber. The 10mm Auto is gaining ground as a lighter, higher-capacity alternative. The .357 Magnum works inside 50 yards with proper bullets.
How far can you hunt with a handgun?
Most ethical handgun hunting shots are taken within 50 to 75 yards. Skilled handgun hunters can stretch to 100 yards with optics and proper loads. Know your effective range and stick to it.
Do you need a special permit to hunt with a handgun?
Requirements vary by state. Some states have specific handgun hunting seasons or caliber minimums. Check your state wildlife agency regulations. Many states allow handgun hunting during general firearms seasons.
Can you hunt with a Glock?
Yes. The Glock 20 in 10mm is the most popular Glock for hunting. With hardcast or bonded hunting loads, it is effective on deer, hogs, and black bear at reasonable distances. Add an optic for best accuracy.
Is .357 Magnum enough for deer?
Yes, within limits. A .357 Magnum with 158 to 180 grain hardcast or bonded bullets is effective on deer inside 50 yards. Shot placement is critical. It is not ideal for longer range or larger game.
What scope works on a hunting handgun?
The Leupold FX-II 4x28mm and Burris 2-7x32mm are classic handgun scope choices. Red dots like the Trijicon SRO also work well. Use extended eye relief scopes designed specifically for handguns.
Can you hunt bear with a handgun?
Yes. Many hunters take black bear with .44 Magnum and 10mm handguns. For grizzly or brown bear, a .44 Magnum minimum with heavy hardcast loads is recommended. Shot placement and bullet construction matter most.
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I only see 14 handguns. Where’s the 15th one, please?
Sometimes that happens 🙂 I need to add another one, as I’ve deleted a gun that’s no longer available. It’s nothing sinister I promise 🙂
I’m sorry, where’s the 15th handgun, please?