HUNTINGsmart! USA Knowledge Base

Hunting with a handgun is not recommended for novice hunters, but if you’ll be using one of these smaller firearms, you’ll find your need-to-knows in this section.

Handguns are small firearms that are fired using one or both of your hands, without having to shoulder the firearm. Like rifles, handguns have rifling in the bore (grooves and lands) that give fired bullets the ‘football spin’.

Modern handguns are sometimes called ‘plastic fantastics’ or ‘tactical tupperwares’. The plastic styles may have just as much shooting accuracy as the older, metal handguns, but the older styles will definitely be made of tougher stuff.