357 Mag for deer

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kevlars

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What does everyone think about a 357 mag for deer hunting?

I have a chance to buy one that is NIB, don't know how much yet, but it is a friend of mine that owns it, and he will be more than fair.

In Illinois, 357 is minimum cal for deer. What do you think would be practical range for a whitetail? Is it enough gun? What are your thoughts in general?

kevlars /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
Quote:
Rifle or Handgun ?
PC



Exactly what I was wondering.
A rifle and a heavy bullet certainly should work in the 20 yards to 120 yards range. Shot placement would be very important.

A .22lr will kill a deer but it would not be my first choice.
A .357 Magnum will kill a deer but it would not be my 1st through 15th choice.
 
Be careful with your shot placement, use a heavy bullet, stay under a hundred yards with a rifle and under fifty yards with a handgun and you should do fine.
 
I would also limit my shots to 50 yds. and under, depending on your ability with a handgun, maybe less. And, for bullets, I found the 140 gr. Hornady XTP
 
Must have hit something I didn't intend... Anyway, the XTP is a good balance between weight and speed. If you do some testing with handgun bullets, you will see that heavy bullets do not tend to perform well. They sail straight through things, unexpanded, as do hard cast bullets. The heavy bullets are built tougher, and going slower, so for thin skinned game, I feel they have two strikes on them before you even shoot. Just my opinion. Give me a 140 gr.hollow point @1500 fps, or better yet, a bigger handgun!
 
How good a shot are you with a pistol?

Do you do much bow-hunting?

Handgun hunting to me is a lot like bow-hunting. Know your range, and stay within it. And for a .357 I'd keep about the same ranges, I'd say try to stay within 40 yards, but 50's not too far of a stretch - if you practice enough to shoot that far.

I use a .44 when I handgun hunt - but that's just me.

If you can find Speer GoldDots in .357 mag, nice and heavy - get those (in my opinion anyway). I'm not sure if Illinois is going to carry them though.

A .357 is a good gun, and it's killed a LOT of deer through the years - and these new guns won't kill one any "deader" than a .357 will. The deer aren't any tougher today than they were 40 years ago, just folks have more options now, and there are some calibers that might make better choices. Personally, for North America - I think the .44 mag is about as good a compromise as it gets for hunting, and you've got a little more leeway in shot placement, and a little more weight to work with in bullets, etc. A .44 just brings a wider selection of criteria and options to the table vs. a .357 for hunting.

You can use a .357 - but pretend it's a bow. If you wouldn't take the shot with a bow - don't take it with the .357.
 
Hey Ben, great post. I was going to answer the question then realized you said everything there was to say! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif I will add one thing, Buffalo Bore makes some hot 158 gr. loads with the Gold Dot bonded core bullet smoking along at the good old velocities the .357 was originally launched at back in 1935 (IIRC). These would be my first choice in a factory load.
 
The 357 is minimum for a reason, those that say under fifty yards are being very optimistic I would say 25 yards with 30 as a max range for the 357 with ANY bullet. The heavier the better though. I would not use any bullet wt under 140 grains though lighter than that will disrupt much to fast on impact, hollow points do much the same you want a bullet that is going to deeply penitrate into a deer, so a hard cast would do the best job UNDER THIRTY YARDS.
 
I shot one with a 357 last November and was not impressed. I hit the deer quartering toward me at about 20 yards right on the point of the shoulder. It was the only shot I had, and the only shot I was gonna have, as 4 more does were approaching and about to discover my presence........

All I can say is that I've shot deer with MANY,different cartridges, and the 357 was the least impressive of all. The same shot with anything else I've used would have resulted in a much cleaner, faster kill in my experience........

In summary, I feel shot placement to be more critical with the 357 than with other cartridges I've used. Problem is, I don't always have time for waiting for a broadside shot that may never be presented. Action in the cedar swamp can be fast and furious during the rut. Quick decisions are crucial........

I'm not implying the 357 will not get it done, but I'll stick to the bigger stuff myself.........
 
I'll reply again to this one - I just want to point out - if you haven't bought that .357 yet, you may want to hold off, and look into a .44. Why does your friend want to sell his .357? Is *he* looking to upgrade? And if so, why? Probably for the same reasons the majority of folks who've chimed in on this thread with any handgun hunting experience have all basically recommended a .44 mag.

As I said - there's been a lot of deer killed with a .357 through the years -- but in that same vein, there's also been a lot of deer killed with a .22LR.

With a .357 you are going to have to choose your shots more carefully, sometimes not getting a shot at all if the angles are wrong, or any number of variables, whereas if you had a little more heft, you'd have greater leeway to take the shot.

I don't know your financial situation, or what sort of optics you like, but a decent .44 mag with either a red-dot or an EoTech holosight slapped on top makes for a great setup.

If you're considering getting into handgun hunting - even if you have to save up for it, for deer, I just think you'll probably be happier in the long run with a .44.

I've got no doubt a .357 can kill a deer, but when it's my money, in Elmer I trust.
 
I have used the .357 for a good while now.

Handguns I like to keep the distance about 50ish yards. Rifle around 100.

Both my handguns and my levergun seem to knock em dead with the 158gr jsp, I didnt like the 180gr hardcast just punched through em, like the others have stated.

I have also tried the federal fusion ammo in my rifle, at 80ish yards left a fist sized hole in a doe, and the insides were absolute jelly, so I havent decided if I really like those so much...Meat shreader. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

As a rule I try and stay away from the hollow points, those did not do well at all.

As far as shot placement goes, a bad shot is a bad shot, a bigger gun is not going to make it any better. It does allow for more opportunities to take those good shots at longer ranges.

Use your judgement. common sense and practice practice practice.

Good luck, and have fun with it, its a great cal.

Dave /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
I've killed 4 deer with a .357 & ~9-10 with a .44mag. Shot placement is key with anything. Out of the 13 or so deer I have shot. The farthest runners have been with the .44. That's not saying that a .357 is a better killer (there is a much smaller control sample, the next .357 shot may trump the runners) but what I am saying is the .357 is sufficient for deer.

If you are buying the gun to specifically hunt. I'd prolly go with a .44mag or better yet a TC in a centerfire rifle cal! However, If you are thinking about buying the gun to shoot, plink, toy with,just to have that you may take it hunting occasionally and your getting a good deal. I'd jump all over it. For plinking the .357 is a joy to shoot v/s the bigger bores...
 
You are getting some very good advice in this thread. I think Ben really nailed it well. In short, years ago I used a .357 some (bears-close range-hound hunting), I went to a .44mag and never looked back.
 
357 mag handgun for deer.

I'd stay under 50 yards, a good 75 yard shot is acceptable if you shoot well and can place the shot.

do not use the 170gr Speer Gold dot ammo. I have found it to be fragile when hitting bone, and not penetrate.

I would recommend a 180 gr XTP or a good wide meplat 180gr or bigger lead bullet.

load up, practice and go kill one!
 
quote:
"I've got no doubt a .357 can kill a deer, but when it's my money, in Elmer I trust."

Amen.

The .357 is a great all-around handgun cartridge, but hunting deer-sized and up game with a handgun is not all-around use - it is specialized use of a handgun. The .41, .44, or heavy-loaded .45 Colt vs. the .357 is just a case of a good big man whipping a good little man. If recoil is a concern, the .41 offers about 20% less measurable recoil than the .44 and is very effective on deer-size game. I've taken several deer with the .41 and they don't go far hit with a 220.
 
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