Im thinking of getting a pistol for Deer and Bear. What caliper is the least I can use in Ny State. and What is the largest. thanks so much

i use a ruger .41 for deer. i don't hunt bear.

I use a S&W 29 with 8 inch barrel.Any caliber larger than that might be cost prohibitive for ammo. Any larger cal would also generate more excessive recoil, both conditions will lead to lack of practice, and practice for handgun hunting is crucial.

thanks for the input . I was wondering if a 9 or 10 mm gun would work too

I wouldn't go with go with the 9. The 10 is a maybey. Check with NY laws about legal cal's for hunting. I'd stay with 41 or 44, if your going after bear.

.41mag or .44mag are your best choices.  Check your state regs. though.

thank you all for your input. it helped out alot

http://www.foggymountain.com/handgu...unts.shtml

Check out what these guys use for bear hunts.

Lots of HANDGUNS are availiable. Revolvers, semi auto, and single shots in a large variety of calibers. NYS allows the use of any center firs for handgun hunting. Certainly there are calibers that are better suited for deer and bear than others. I would not choose the 9mm for either. The 10mm with proper bullets would be adaquite but under only the best of circumstanses and used by a proficient shooter. The .357 with good bullets would also be useable under the same criteria as the 10mm. If you are a novice shooter the large magnum calibers can be a bit intimidating, and require much practice to master. Lots of good revolvers to choose from if the ranges you shoot are kept a bit on the short side. If you intend to stretch the ranges outside of 100 yards you may be better served with one of the rifle calibers in a single shot firearm such as the Contender, Encore or XP100 or that type of speciality pistol. Handgun hunting is challenging and fun and adds a new demention to your hunting. Be advised that it can become an addictive habit.

Here in NY state you can use " ANY CENTERFIRE " handgun for hunting.That wording was changed to take into account the many single shot pistols that are available in rifle calibers.It used to read ".35 caliber or larger" since in actual pistol calibers .357 Magnum is widely considered the very least you should consider for deer sized game.

I really like my Contender and Encore pistols,but in the rifle calibers I have they do exibit quite alot of recoil.
You can get barrels in almost any caliber you desire to fit them.
I have .35 Rem , .44 Mag , .444 Marlin , .45 Long Colt ,.308 , and .30-06 .

If you want to lean toward a revolver the 357 as stated earlier is the bare minimum,and should be limited to bowhunting ranges.
The 44 mag is one of the favorites , and the 41 magnum,and 45Long Colt are used quite a bit.
You might also consider some of the newer calibers specifically designed for hunting revolvers like the 454 Casull , or the 460 S&W,500S&W,480 Ruger !

In an auto Pistol the only really suitable caliber readily available is probably the 10mm with heavy handloads.
The other various calibers just don't pack enough punch to reliably take big game!

They all have thier merrits and demerits,so trying as many as you can,and seeing which one suits you best is the only way to go!

I'm in the Hudson Valley ,and if you're nearby,I'ld be glad to show you my collection,and let you shoot them to see if they are your cup of tea!
Just drop me an email and we can set it up !

iF YOU HANDLOAD THE 45 COLT IS VERY VERSATILE. I HAVE HAD TWO 44 MAGS ONE 41 MAG AND STILL OWN TWO 357 MAGS. I NOW OWN TWO RUGER 45 COLTS ONE A REDHAWK DOUBLE ACTION AND ONE BLACKHAWK SINGLE ACTION. I HAVE FOUND I REALLY ENJOY THE 45 COLT FAR MORE THAN THE FORTY FORTY FOUR. I CAN LOAD HEAVY BULLETS AND THE RECOIL IS LESS THAN THE FORTY FOUR. IF YOU DONT HANDLOAD THEN YES THE FORTY FOUR MAG OR THE FOUR FIFTY FOUR CASULL

I'm in NY and hunt whitetails with a .44 mag revolver. You can play with bullet weights (180 gr vs 240 for example) depending on the game and ranges you'll encounter. It is addicting. My barrel is only 6 1/2" so I keep my shots at about 30yds and under. There is plenty of velocity, but the accuracy gets a bit shakey further out.

The nice thing about a TC encore or contender is the variety of barrels you can get for them. You can also reach way out with those longer barrels. My favorite hunting is stalking through bedding areas, so close shots are what I expect. If I was going to be sitting in a shooting house overlooking a field...then I'd go with a T/C.

Good luck!

Stray what part of NY are you in?
Your 6 1/2" 44 revolver should be good out to at least 100 yards,as long as you shoot from a rest,and practice at those ranges!
Off of a shooting stick I can keep 6 shots in a paper plate all day at 100 yards with my 6 1/2"open sighted 357 Blackhawk!
Off hand is something that I rarely attempt though!
I am probably efficient out to 40 yards or so off hand.
I just picked up a 10"open sighted 44 mag barrel for my Contender,and will be working up loads for that if the snow ever goes away so we can get near our range!
It should make a perfect b/u gun to the muzzle loader during the regular season!
Not too bulky to carry like the scoped 14 and 15 " rifle caliber barrels,but a long enough sight plane for longer than archery ranges!

MJ,
I'm in the Fingerlakes area (Ithaca).

I really haven't tried shooting the .44 at those distances with a rest.
I like to still hunt, so my shots are usually off-hand, and so that's what I practice.
I'll have to give it a whirl at the range next time.

East end here next to the Ct border!
I think you'll be surprised how far that 6 1/2" gun will shoot given the proper rest!

Lots of bullet weights availiable for the 44 if you are a handloader that run well over 300 grain in weight. I run 320 grain HC at about 1200 from a redhawk and there isn't anything that load wont take cleanly. I have a 4 5/8 in Ruger BH in 41 mag that has taken game well past 100 yards. I run 240 gr cast in it. The key to handgun hunting is practice. If you are comfortable at 30 yards that is your limit and you are wise to keep your shots at that distance, that is a shooter issue more that it is a caliber issue. I have only recovered one 44 mag bullet from a deer out of 27 killed with that caliber and that was a high shoulder/ neck shot at 140 yards from a 20 in carbine. It was a 240 Remington HP and the extra speed from the longer barrel created rapid expansion and text book mushroom and DRT deer.

MJGONEHUNTING
Back in the late 70's and early 80's I worked closely with a legislator from WNY named Pat MaGee in presenting a rule change in Albany in regard the a handgun hunting bill she proposed. Along with a friend in the NYSDEC we made a presentation to the legislature which became the handgun regulations as we now know them in NYS. The wording in that bill is nearly word for word as we drafted it on napkins during a lunch conference in Falconer, NY at Davidsons resturant. Terry ( the DEC officer) made the only changes in that he said he didn't want his agents to be ballistic experts so made the decision to have all centerfires legal as was the rule for rifles in the northern zone. Pat and I had wanted some calibers restricted. I still have the charts and papers from the presentation we made in Albany. My personal guns were the objects of that presentation. That was a long time ago. NYS is a very liberal leaning state and has gotten even more so in the years since I moved away..but that handgun law still stands unchanged as far as I know. I believe the registration rules regarding Contenders and Encores has changed a bit but that is generally a pistol permitting system change.
Western NYS has some great hunting and I still get up there some to hunt with friends..but I have to use a long gun now.

Yeah it sucks that NY won't allow you to hunt from out of state with a handgun,even if you where a past resident in good standing!
My uncle hunted alot with a handgun,but moved to Fla. and he too must use a long gun now.
He was very active in our local federation of sportsmans clubs,and also with Hunters For The Hungry for many years,and basically now the government says they don't trust him any more because he moved!
We only missed by 1 vote the last time the nation wide reciprocal permit law was voted on,so maybe we'll get it next time!

Use a 44 mag (min) or a S&W 460. Use a 357 for back up. OR- use a T/C in a larger caliber.

bear 44mag 357mag 460sw 500sw 41 all great shootem in the head though

www.reedercustomguns.com and for ammo www.garrettcartridges.com

"Shoot them in the head though" WHY?

Dont you a pistol. Just use a rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, or bow like everybody else.

As I said to you on a previous topic----"JEEZ!!! What?"