Montanans love their firearms and while certain states might have more guns than Montana when it comes to the percentage of adults who own guns, Montana is the leader with over 66 percent of the adult population owning at least one firearm

It makes sense when you consider just how popular hunting is here in Big Sky Country.

All across the state, you will find gun shops, pawn shops, sporting goods stores, and various other places where you can buy firearms and or ammo. Montana has something for everyone when it comes to guns. Whether you're looking for something high-tech, or just a good old-fashioned single shot, you can find it here in The Treasure State.

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With that being said, you might think that the most popular firearm in the state would be used for hunting, however, according to one source, the most popular firearm in Montana isn't a rifle or a shotgun, but a handgun.

Before we reveal the most popular firearm in Montana, let's look at a list of animals you can hunt all year long here in Big Sky Country.

10 Animals That You Can Hunt Anytime of the Year in Montana

Gallery Credit: KC

The website The Range 702 takes a look at the most popular gun from each state and when it comes to Montana, our most popular gun packs a punch. The site claims that Montanan's number one choice for a firearm is the Smith & Wesson 500 Magnum.

While I'm not a gun expert, I own several weapons, however, the 500 Magnum is not part of my collection so I'm not sure I can deny or confirm the website's claim that the handgun is the most popular firearm in the state.

Credit: Canva
Credit: Canva
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Smith & Wesson's website claims that the Magnum 500 is the most powerful handgun in production and states that the weapon is a "hunting handgun for any game", which would also include big game like Elk, Moose, and even Grizzly Bears. Of course, it's important to know the laws regarding which weapons are legal to use in big game hunting.

States with the most registered hunters

Stacker analyzed data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine which states have the most registered hunters. Read on to see how your state ranks on Stacker’s list.

Gallery Credit: Meagan Drillinger

LOOK: Here are the states where you are most likely to hit an animal

Hitting an animal while driving is a frightening experience, and this list ranks all 50 states in order of the likelihood of such incidents happening, in addition to providing tips on how to avoid them.

Gallery Credit: Dom DiFurio & Jacob Osborn