Self-Defense While Hunting: What Handgun Should You Carry?

[Annihilator]

 

[powerboatr]

The type of wildlife in the area should dictate what size sidearm is necessary.

agreed
i carry my xd 9 mm service pistol
poor thing has been through it all and still looks great and shoots perfect
occasionally my xd sub compact 45...

 

[Bear007]

In my state which is a straight wall state when deer hunting, if carrying a handgun it must meet the handgun rules for deer hunting. Minimum 4” barrel and .357 cal or larger. So if I carry my hellcat inside my waist band for defense purposes and carry my 350 legend to hunt, I could be citied for carrying a gun that doesn’t meet hunting requirements even if I have no plans of using it to take a deer with. DNR’s can come up with some stupid rules.

Don't know what state you are in but in PA you can still carry your CCW while hunting though it can't be used any type of hunting.

 

[UC_Guy 1971]

I carry a 4" .357 Taurus Tracker normally. This year I'm feeling sassy so I'm going with the 10mm Glock 20.

 

[Anchorite]

When we hunt up north (MN) I carry my M&P 2.0 .45. I had thought about going to 10mm but we have so much 45ACP that it doesn't make a lot of sense to introduce a new caliber into the mix. Now I'm thinking about it again.

The advantage of large bore bullets like the 45 is diameter and weight. Those two numbers are constants and don’t diminish.

You do not need a .45 to expand. A .45 caliber hole driving straight and deep is exceptionally effective. It has been since the days when the .45 Colt was issued to the Cavalry in the 1870s and the .45 caliber projectile was used to kill both men and their horses as well as buffalo and virtually everything else. The .45 caliber projectiles used did so all while at a quite sedate velocity in the mid 800 FPS range. Easily replicated in the 45 ACP today.