Lawful,
Not meant as harse at all pard, just teasing Mr. D since I and many other Contender handgunners commonly used them for "real" long range hunting successfully, for big and small game. Lots of folks don't have the experience and so skills to do so. That isn't a put down either, just the way it is. Sounds like you too like very small targets at very long ranges (predator and varmint hunting have been my favorite types of hunting for over 50 years); don't shy away from long shots on big game and might also prefer using the specialty pistols for all of them instead of rifles like I did for well over 35 years.
Mr. D,
I only yanked your chain because of the "ANY" comment for maximum range for handguns and handgunners. And I was not referring to target shooting, but for hunting. But I respect your ethics with handguns to not use them beyond what you feel confident and comfortable with for hunting.
Contender handguns chambered for the right cartridges are capable on many of our big game species at least to 500 yards, and on varmints at twice that if a shooter knows its ballisitics with the load being shot, has it sighted in for the PBR of the quarry intended at the long ranges possible, and has the experience (practice) with it at those ranges "in field postions" to have the techniques to accomplish it. None of that comes easy, but it can be achieved over many years of doing it if a shooter works toward that goal. One nice thing about very long range, a good hit is a good hit, and a miss is usually a clean miss, probably more often than not from an error in range or wind estimation if not technique. That's still way more respectful for the animal than the hoards who throw "Hail Mary's" with rifles every year hunting big game, and at much shorter ranges. There are lots of places where 500, let alone 1000 yards shots are not possible, let along safe or ethical in this country. But here in the wide open west with endless miles of natural, unihabited land long shots can be common for any species, and taken as long safely as a hunter feels capable of. By nature I feel most handgunner hunters practice a lot more with them than rifle hunters do for hunting (especially for big game), because they have to if they want to be an ethical hunter and a successful hunter. All too often in my "rifle" days I remember people who were otherwise ethical hunters that commonly didn't shoot their hunting rifles except on hunts, and to "check sights" just before the next one. Many handguns shoot them year round, and for several species from small to big, if for no other reason than practice for when the big game seasons open, while few rifle big game hunters normally don't use those rifles for anything else.
Regardless, no hunter should go past what they are comfortable with using a chosen firearm no matter what it is, and therefore capable of doing humanely out of respect for the game, not even an old Contender and specialty pistol salt like me. I remember a few yeasr ago when an old shooting buddy took an AZ elk well past 500 yards with his 338JDJ#2 Contender pistol. He is a very ethical hunter and an excellent shot with a Contender with many years experiance shooting them in hunting situations. He was glad to get it, but bothered that it took him more than one shot to get the job done. He hit it with every shot, but if I remember it took 4 to kill it at that range, with a couple that were poor hits.
I respect varmints as much as I do big game, and predators more than any of them when hunting. They all deserve humane kills. So I gave free passes a lot, and on any species when I felt I couldn't do that. Just left them for another day. Meant my family ate slow elk (cow) some winters instead of wild game, much better than wounding an animal and loosing it. Didn't matter what species either. Loosing a wounded ground squirrel down its burrow was as hard as loosing big game for me even though we didn't noramally eat GS's (I have though).
Sorry if I wore you gents out with this. But please take my previous post and this as intended - not to belittle anyone. We are brothers with like minds and with many common goals. We may have different opinions from experience is all.
L.
