I am looking at getting a hunting pistol with a scope to play around with. Anyone have suggestions?

hunting for what? deer or small game?

For deer, i would suggest a 44 Mag....either Ruger, if you like single actions, or S&W, if you like double actions.

For small game, I'd go with a 357. You can shoot 38's for practice and 357 for serious.

In either case the word is practice, practice, practice. A pistol is a LOT harder to shoot accurately than a rifle. Keep us posted on your decisions!

The other option, since you mentioned a scope, would be one of the single shot "hand rifles". Much more accurate, but less handy, too.

I went with a ruger super blackhawk hunter edition. It has rings and ring mounts that come with it.

I was just checking those out. Only other one I have looked at besides that was the Taurus 444.

How about the Thompson Encore's ? Go as big as you want.

I would like to have a TC with different calibers someday but that's later. I want to take a deer with one if possible. Or at least a few pigs.

by the way, what scope did you get for yours bigdaddy?

I love my TC Encore Pistol.

+1 for ENCORE

I have been strictly a handgun hunter for over 30 years and I would recommend nothing smaller than a 44 magnum. If recoil is a problem, you can always shoot 44 special in it as well, then work your way up to a 44 mag.

I prefer S&W and Ruger, I have 6 of these in 44 mag and as far as scopes go, I would definitely get a Variable. If you really like handgun hunting and want to get something bigger, I would recommend a .454 Casull, of which I have 2 Freedom Arms, or a 460XVR S&W, of which I have 1 as well. I really like the S&W 460XVR, as it is my favorite handgun for hunting at the preset time.

I also have a TC Encore in 30-06 with a 3-7 variable scope that works great for long range.

I have taken several deer, hogs, and bear with my handguns, but for a starter hunting handgun it is hard to beat a good 44 magnum.

I had an encore and it was nice but I was never comfortable with it. If I had it to do again I would choose a 357,44, or maybe a new 460. I would concentrate more of out to 75 yards rather than think about shooting at 200 with an encore.
I wounded two animals with an encore with a perfect rest at a fairly close range. Yes I practiced

I have owned Ruger's in 357 and 44 and a couple of Encore pistols, and they all will serve the purpose. I would recommend the flexibility of the Encore.

454 casull either ruger super redhawk or freedom arms

I use a S&W chambered in .41 Remington mag.

I am really leaning toward the Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter .44 mag. I really like the Encore but have an issue with the whole one shot thing.

I have a Ruger Redhawk in 41mag and a couple of T/C Contenders!! The one shot thing isn't too bad when you realize that you can reach a lot farther out with that one shot!!

mines a POC bushnell. This scope is the reason I won't buy bushnell scopes. When I get the money to replace it I'll probably go with a fixed 4x or something like that. I Had to choose between this one and a Taurus raging bull. I kinda wish ni woulda gone with the raging bull but as soon as I get a set of pachmyers for it, it'll be 100% better.

Ruger SRH .44 mag 9 1/2

In shoulder rig in East Tx

White Falcon that's a nice set up. You know if that same model comes in .41 mag?

didn't care for the feel of the Ruger grip.
have a S/W model 29 8-3/8 barrel with Pacmayer grips and a Leupold 2x scope just to give ya some cross hairs.
shot my first buck with it and it probably won't be the last.
lot's of options out there these days!

You may want to try a SAVAGE STRIKER 516 if you can find one.

I have one in 7mm-08 and love it.

More like a rifle with a pistol grip though.

I had a lot of trouble w/ Taurus 444. The Customer NO-Service @ Taurus IS HORRIABLE BUT The Ruger SBH

I would recommend getting either a S&W or Ruger revolver in .44 mag. You can get some very mild recoiling loads in .44 mag.....as well as some very powerful loads. I shoot a S&W 629 Classic with 6.5" barrel topped with a 2x fixed power Leupold scope.

But whatever you do.....please dear God do yourself a favor and don't buy anything with "Taurus" written on it. I know they make some cool looking revolvers, but they are truly JUNK. Spend the extra $200 and buy a Smith if you can afford it. If not....get a Ruger Super Blackhawk single action.

Ruger SBH all the way. 44mag will do all you want to do.

yep - Ruger Blackhawk - .357 or .44 mag - cant go wrong - I personally like double action.