Hunting with a handgun might just be one of the most overlooked, challenging, and delightful methods of going afield. From rimfires for small game to hand-cannon big bores for large game and everything in between, there’s a handgun for your style of pursuit. Here are our top hunting handgun choices among current production firearms. 
 

Best Hunting Handguns

Small Game: 
Ruger Mark IV 
Browning Buck Mark
Ruger Single-Six Family
Ruger Super Redhawk .22 Hornet

Medium Game:
Savage 110 PCS 
Magnum Research Desert Eagle 

Big Game:
Magnum Research BFR
Thompson/Center Contender & Encore 
Taurus Raging Hunter

Small Game

When talking small game hunting, rimfires dominate the space. While the venerable .22 Long Rifle is by far the most common, don’t sleep on rounds like the .22 Magnum, .17 HMR or even smaller centerfires – while harder to come by in handgun platforms, they add some spice to life. 

Ruger Mark IV

If it sounds like we’re favoriting Ruger, it’s simply because the company dominates the rimfire handgun space. Many Ruger models are not only longstanding, but with variants ideal for hunters – the Mark IV series included. All Mark series rimfires have been solid since the Standard’s introduction in 1949. 

At the moment, the easy-takedown Mark IV series gets top billing, and of the no fewer than eight variants on the market at the time of this writing, it should come as no surprise that the Hunter is our favorite for hunting. 

Its 6.88-inch fluted barrel, wood laminate wraparound finger groove grips, and  fiber-optic sights are both handy and practical in the squirrel woods. Hunters who prefer optics and suppressors can look instead to variants like the Mark IV Tactical or 22/45 Lite, as both offer an optics rail and threaded barrel. 

Browning Buck mark

As semi-automatic .22 LR rimfire pistols go, few – if any – have touted more model variations than Browning’s Buck Mark. The single-action blowback-operated design has been offered in countless styles, barrel lengths, and feature types. While many are geared toward target shooters and plinkers, plenty continue appealing to hunters as well. 

Every model we’ve ever used had quality adjustable iron sights, but if you plan to hunt with an optic, look for one with a Picatinny rail. Buckmarks offer barrel lengths from 4 to 10+ inches, and threaded barrel options are also ideal for those thinking of suppressed pursuits. 

Ruger Single-Six Family 

Here we go again, right back to Ruger with another longstanding design, this time in a wheel gun. The single-action Single-Six series has been around since the early 1950s and has evolved into one of the most revered, durable, do-all rimfire wheel guns on the market. While the guns were originally chambered in .22 LR with convertible .22 WMR cylinder options, Ruger has since offered a Single-Six in .17 HMR, which is a zippier small game choice, as well as a Single-Nine in .22 WMR. 

For higher capacity, there’s now also a Single-Ten with a 10-round cylinder. Any of the family will reward you with smooth operation, crisp action, impressive attention to detail, practical accuracy, and the durability of a gun to be passed from one generation to the next.   

For a similar feel but less expensive Ruger, check out the company’s younger Wrangler series. While they come with fewer frills and more basic sights, the guns are a great entry into rimfire handgunning. 

Ruger Super Redhawk .22 Hornet

When you want something zestier than a rimfire, but with barely more recoil and in a bulletproof design, look no further than Ruger’s Super Redhawk in .22 Hornet. With an eight- round cylinder, satin stainless construction, Hogue Tamer Monogrip, and HiViz sights, the gun is a larger platform performer in a smaller caliber. 

Fans of the Super Redhawk’s triple-locking cylinder from the larger calibers will find that here as well. The gun is accurate, durable, and capable on plenty of small to even some medium-sized game. Those who appreciate the Redhawk’s bulletproof platform but desire more oomph can snag a Super Redhawk in .44 Magnum, 10mm Auto, .454 Casull, or .480 Ruger. 

Medium Game

This area we’ll call medium game comprises the most common animals hunters pursue by handgun, including deer, antelope, hogs, and even furbearers like coyotes. The caveat is that the majority of the guns on this list work well in multiple categories. 
 

Savage 110 PCS 

While some of its features may seem more tactical than hunt-oriented, Savage’s 110 PCS bolt-action handgun can be a hunter’s best friend. Not only has that vaunted 110 action been proven both accurate and durable over the decades on the company’s centerfire rifles, but it’s doing the same on handguns. Of the three models we’ve tested, each has shot MOA or sub-MOA groups. 

There’s a 10.5-inch threaded barrel ideal for suppressors, a 0-MOA optics rail, spiral-fluted bolt, adjustable AccuTrigger, and aluminum chassis body. The left-hand bolt, right-hand eject is fast and practical once you get used to it, and the AICS mags offer ample firepower. Chamberings include .223 Rem, 6.5 Creed, .308 Win, .300 AAC Blackout, and .350 Legend, making it a player on small, medium, and big game.

Magnum Research Desert Eagle 

You might question listing the hulk of all semi-automatic pistols as a medium-game hunting choice, but in fact, any of the .357 Mag, .44 Mag, or even the .50 Action Express chamberings from the “Deagle” excel on deer-sized game. As with many on this list, range will be limited to generally sub-100-yard shots, but the ethical hunter can be mighty effective with a Desert Eagle, and stylish to boot. 

The gas-driven repeater is a real handful in terms of metrics, but it’s built for generational durability. In another sensible and customizable move, Desert Eagle owners can quickly swap chamberings by purchasing a barrel kit, which includes two magazines. Though we use a Desert Eagle in .50 AE for occasional hunts, we also snagged a .44 Magnum pack, which makes for quick swaps and more economical shooting. 

Big Game

Whether you hear “big game” and think of black bears, elk, or even more dangerous game in Africa and beyond, rest assured there’s a handgun upon which you can stake not only your success, but your life as well. 
 

Magnum Research BFR

We can vouch for the Magnum Research Biggest, Finest Revolver on everything from midwest whitetails to African Cape buffalo, and plenty of game in between. The BFR can be had in Short and Long Cylinder models, which means chamberings from .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum to .30-30 Winchester, .500 S&W Magnum, and even .500 JRH and .500 Linebaugh. 

For those who appreciate the less common handgun offerings, the BFR has that covered with some of our personal faves: .360 Buckhammer, .375 Winchester, .45-70 Gov’t, and an even more extensive list of custom shop options. All those BFR actions are not only stoutly built of stainless steel and buttery smooth with a precision-grade barrel, but they’re rightly advertised to “take everything from grouse to grizzly.” 

Thompson/Center Contender & Encore

Of all the handguns on this list, the longtime powerhouse Thompson/Center Contender is the most modular and customizable of all. These break-action single shots offer simple barrel/chambering swaps, meaning one frame can accommodate a laundry list of calibers, barrel lengths, types, and furniture. 

The traveling hunter could roll with a rimfire or .22-250 Rem for smaller game, a 6.5 Creedmoor for medium, and a .45-70 Gov’t for large. Sadness ensued when T/C closed up shop during the pandemic, but the brand was recently reborn and now lists not the Contender handgun, but a modernized version in the Encore Pro Hunter pistol system. We’ve yet to test the newbies, but if they’re anything like the originals, the sky’s the limit for hunters.  

Taurus Raging Hunter

For years, Taurus has blanketed the market with options for hunters, though few are more ideal than the Raging Hunter lineup. The Raging Hunter defines a wide array of variants, though most are five-shot, DA/SA wheel guns with adjustable sights, an integral rail, and barrel porting. 

They’re available in bigger bores like .357 Mag, .44 Mag, .454 Casull, and .500 S&W, chamberings which bridge the gap between both medium and large game. Recently, we’ve been eyeing the big game darling Raging Hunter .460 model, though the same in .350 Legend is pretty sweet as well. There’s a 10.5-inch barrel, aggressive muzzle brake/compensator, two-tone finish, and Picatinny optics rail. The bottom rail is ideal for attaching a bipod, while dual cylinder locks help with the heavier chamberings.