The .44 Magnum, developed in 1955, was the beginning of handgun hunting for mainstream hunters.
The comparatively short sight radius of a handgun and typically less powerful ammunition than used with rifles, means that any handgun hunter must stalk closer to the prey in order to kill the animal humanely, giving said animal more chance of detecting and avoiding the hunter.
Double-action revolvers can be cocked using the hammer spur to allow for a shorter and lighter trigger which can result in fewer disturbances of the sight alignment during the trigger pull, thus aiding a hunter's accuracy.
Single-action revolvers that require cocking the hammer with the spur also benefit from the short, light trigger but often have longer lock times.
This design strength and the simplicity of the single-action make them popular for big-bore hunting revolvers, but the strength of a revolver comes mostly from the integrity of the cylinder which holds the combustion pressure within the metallic cartridge.