Limitations of .357 Magnum

I've hunted deer with a 6" 357mag. I've got 3 357's in my safe currently. I enjoy the guns, but the cartridge itself I don't have much love for.

For hunting, it needs run pretty hot. I'd rather use a warm 44 special/45 Colt a 240/250 ~900fps. Less flash and blast, not a whole lot of recoil. Much better chance of through and though, better chance to break shoulders down.

The 357 will work, but 44/45's just work better without needing to be bleeding edge hot loads and or expensive fancy bullets.

For defensive purposes in North America (assuming the user can hit what he or she is aiming at) the only critters I could see it coming up short against would be griz, brown bear, Kodiak, and polar bears. All the black bear guides I know in Maine carry 45 autos. Can moose be aggressive? I don't know anything about them. In Fl and the rest of the southeast, I just carry a 40 S&W. The only potentially aggressive big critters we have are hogs, gators, and black bears. We have panthers (very rare) but they are scared to death of people.

WrongHanded said:

The .357 Magnum is the entry level Magnum

Click to expand...

Wouldn’t the .32 Magnum be the first entry level magnum or are we talking about
.357” and greater sized bullets?

The .357 is the caliber I can't seem to quit. I swear them off due to the flash and report every few years, but in truth I just shoot a heavy .357 revolver better than other guns. I carry .38 +p day to day in a 686+. The only gun that I pack along more often is a Shield .45. Packs the same number of rounds and is a bit lighter. The trade off is fat heavy bullets or smaller faster ones.

Still, the .357 is the gun most non gun people can shoehorn into pretty much every role. Despite owning a dozen guns or so, I don't consider myself a "gun guy". A solid .357 can do pretty much everything I could ask for. A snub nose packs well for urban carry. It is more that enough gun for the animals I am apt to stumble across here. The places that I am likely to vacation has bears the internet seems to fear of the 200lb skittish variety. Its a gun that travels well and it intuitive to use should my nonshooting wife need to use it. Stoked with .38 ARX, the heavy 686+ goes off like a pop gun in even the most nervous of hands. Feed it some 158 hard cast .357 and it will thump most critters i am apt to stumble across.

Long story short, despite being an ear splitter, there isn't much on two legs or four that I will personally come across that the ballistic charts say it won't handle. Im not a hunter. Never have hunted. Never plan on hunting. If I head to an area where big animals are a potential danger, I'll opt for a 12 gauge pump gun. If I can't bring that along, then I'll just stay in the lodge, out of the cold, and enjoy a couple stiff drinks instead.

Armored farmer said:

I killed deer with this .357View attachment 917414 ...and this .357
View attachment 917416and this one......View attachment 917420 all were successful, but definitely not clean. A pencil sized hole is a slow death. 158gr LNFPSWC. And 158gr XTPs.
Once when resting that ported Taurus against a tree, I was certain that I had lost my hearing from one unprotected shot. It was painful.
I migrated to a .45colt for deer hunting.
View attachment 917421 I decided that bigger holes worked better.

I dont know what's wrong with me, but I still buy .357s, and carry them as a ccw from time to time despite their poor performance on my deer hunts.

Click to expand...

Beautiful pieces and great pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Fiv3r said:

Long story short, despite being an ear splitter, there isn't much on two legs or four that I will personally come across that the ballistic charts say it won't handle. Im not a hunter. Never have hunted. Never plan on hunting. If I head to an area where big animals are a potential danger, I'll opt for a 12 gauge pump gun. If I can't bring that along, then I'll just stay in the lodge, out of the cold, and enjoy a couple stiff drinks instead.

Click to expand...

While a shotgun loaded with slugs might be ideal, there is the problem of needing both hands to operate long arms. And a bear can be almost right on top of you, before you even notice. A Magnum level handgun on the other hand, is much quicker to bring into play and be used one handed if necessary.

whm1974 said:

While a shotgun loaded with slugs might be ideal, there is the problem of needing both hands to operate long arms. And a bear can be almost right on top of you, before you even notice. A Magnum level handgun on the other hand, is much quicker to bring into play and be used one handed if necessary.

Click to expand...

I'm thinking not a pistol will be in a holster your shotgun will be in your hand's

LUCKYDAWG13 said:

I'm thinking not a pistol will be in a holster your shotgun will be in your hand's

Click to expand...

If you say so. I'm not going to argue with you since I limited experinence with rifles, and none at all with shotguns. The last Centerfire Rifle I remember shooting was my stepfather's Ruger Mini-14 Rifle when I was 13. Nearly all of my shooting was done with handguns and maybe three .22 LR Rifles.

whm1974 said:

If you say so. I'm not going to argue with you since I limited experinence with rifles, and none at all with shotguns. The last Centerfire Rifle I remember shooting was my stepfather's Ruger Mini-14 Rifle when I was 13. Nearly all of my shooting was done with handguns and maybe three .22 LR Rifles.

Click to expand...

You know after thinking about it it would depend on the holster you were using When i carry a pistol it's covered up under a shirt or a coat

whm1974 said:

While a shotgun loaded with slugs might be ideal, there is the problem of needing both hands to operate long arms. And a bear can be almost right on top of you, before you even notice. A Magnum level handgun on the other hand, is much quicker to bring into play and be used one handed if necessary.

Click to expand...

Fair points, but my point is that short of being catapulted into a hostile wilderness full of grizzly bears for amusement by some sort dystopian game show, I dont feel the need to invest in or carry something larger than a .357. Mine is a logical one: big bears live where it is cold when I am available to go on vacation. I do not like the cold. I am much happier to spend my days in the temperate climates of the lower Midwest and and south.

That said, if I happen to stumble across a good deal on a little cabin in Northern Michigan or really decide to go on a trek where a .357 isn't enough, Ill most likely buy a Glock 20. I have wanted one for years and it gives me an excuse.

However, from a personal point of likely NEED, a .357 will be enough for me as a nonhunter.

First of all, I've never killed a deer with a handgun, so I'm not setting myself up to be an expert on the subject. However, I have read a lot from those who have killed scores of game animals and defer to their opinions because they are based on real world experience.

From what I've gathered, once you pass animals in the class of whitetails, a bigger gun is needed. For most of the handgun hunters I read, a bigger one is preferred even on deer sized game.

Yes if conditions are perfect it will kill most anything. But if you've hunted very long you know that often conditions are not perfect. There are variables that pop up when hunting that you don't plan for.

el Godfather said:

Furthermore, anything over 44 is unnecessary and impractical anyways, but thats a different debate.

Click to expand...

It may be for the hunting you do and the application you plan on using it for.
It is certainly true for me. I hunt deer. A .44 magnum is certainly all I need and a larger round is completely unnecessary.

But for the guy chasing cape buffalo, rhinos or Grizzly, a .454 Casull, .475 Linebaugh or .500 JRH make a lot more sense, if the shooter can handle it.

I've killed several deer with a 44 and can tell you it was always ample for the job. If I were still hunting that would continue to be the cartridge I used with a handgun.

Being a gun guy, I also own 357's and I would hunt with them if it's all I had. I've also killed a lot of deer with a bow. I would look at the 357 in the same light as a bow, only faster.

All guns require you to make good shots in the vitals. My 44's always had the luxury of taking shots at less that stellar angles such as quartering on. I would probably wait for good broadside with a less powerful caliber, and that's a pretty good thing to be waiting for anyway.

I wouldn't recommend someone pursue their first deer with a 357, but once you get some experience and won't be disappointed letting bad shots walk, I imagine it will be just fine.

I do not hunt so for target use and self defense, .357 is my go to. Of course, I also like my 1911 with 230 grain ball in the same situations. I am not sure which one I would pick up first if both were available. I think I will just keep both of them.

Steel Hayes said:

Wouldn’t the .32 Magnum be the first entry level magnum or are we talking about
.357” and greater sized bullets?

Click to expand...

Given 38 H&R Magnum, despite its name, is not really a high "Magnum" pressure cartridge so I struggle to lump it in with 357, 41 and 44 "Magnum". Its only running 21,000 psi which is barrel above 38 Special +P. Now on the other hand 327 Federal Magnum would qualify as a Magnum in my view. Not a big bore cartridge but that skinning little cartridge is pretty potent for what it is. At 45,000 psi though its bark is going to be nearly as bad as its bite.

Sorry for t he hyperbole but I’m reading the last post something like this:

If an animal is not going to attack me any gun will work just fine.

Read my Sig line a few hundred more times.

I don’t have anything against 357 Magnum I just think folks need to do a ton of research before they decide what’s “good enough” for any given situation.

Once again, if it is what you have already, go ahead and run it.

I am not sure what the limitations are for the .357 Magnum, but it is a decent caliber for all-around requirements. I like them, so I have several. I like other calibers for various chores, so have them too. Shoot what you can competently hit your target with, and match the caliber to the task. Bigger isn't always better, but sometimes it is.

Now, for some photos!

Model 27-3


Model 28-2

FWIW ranchers around these parts prefer the 125 grain sjhp .357 in a carbine for 'Yote medicine.

Steel Hayes said:

Wouldn’t the .32 Magnum be the first entry level magnum or are we talking about
.357” and greater sized bullets?

Click to expand...

Not really the 32s never really took off in popularity. Most people who are new to revolvers go straight to 38 and 357 since they are so common. 32h&r magnum is out of production in large part as far as new or modern guns go. Charter is the last holdout I believe. 327 federal magnum is the new iteration but Ruger is the only one making it anymore, and there is no advantage in going to 327 over 357 usually so again most people skip the 32 and go straight to 357.

el Godfather said:

Hunting with hand canons may give people an adrenaline rush BUT its not my cup of tea; hence I don’t bungee jump.

Click to expand...

It's certainly not for everyone.
I will say for me personally, a full throttle .44 magnum is all I can handle. That is the threshold for me, and I know I couldn't be effective with the large hand cannons because as much as I hate to admit it, I'm recoil sensitive.
Fortunately for me, I can still hunt the animals I pursue with a handgun and be well within my limitations.

I will say this about the .357 mag, it's sure more pleasant for a fun day at the range. I've been shooting mine a lot more lately because I can shoot 100 rounds and my hands be no worse for the wear. I can't do that with .44 mag or +p .45 Colt.

I dunno, maybe sitting behind a desk for the last 10 years has just made me soft and I need to do some hand and wrist exercises.

el Godfather said:

Going for Cape Buffalo or such aggressive animals there is a certain protocol and that is using a high caliber hunting rifles

Click to expand...

With today's calibers and bullets, a handgun can be a very effective weapon against dangerous bovines in capable hands. It's not a gimmick. There's handgun hunters, like @MaxP doing it, as @CraigC puts it, with boring regularity.

Check out Big Iron on Amazon Prime if you haven't. It's pretty awesome what the handguns are capable of. I like the .357 magnum, but if you were facing some of the animals on that show from a mere few yards away, it would seem like a slingshot.

Steel Hayes said:

Wouldn’t the .32 Magnum be the first entry level magnum or are we talking about
.357” and greater sized bullets?

Click to expand...

To the best of my knowledge most people don't start with a .32 Magnum of any sort. That probably is due to the .38spl being as popular as it has been historical, couple with the suggestion that a new gun owner buy a .357 revolver because they can shoot .38s from it. So from a popularity stand point, I'd say the .357 usually is the first step in Magnum handgun cartridges, despite a .32 being smaller.

IMHO, the .357's limit is deer sized game out to 50-75yds. It's not ideal but it is adequate. Best left for the hands of veteran handgun hunters who are patient and can work within the cartridge's limitations, not the guy who's trying it for the first time. That said, a moderately loaded big bore (.44/.45 ~250gr at 1000-1200fps) will do the same job to the same range without making your ears bleed. Without the need for brain-piercing muzzle blast and without being dependent on perfect jacketed bullet expansion. Then you have the option of going faster if you need more range, or heavier if you're after larger critters. So that is my preference.

WestKentucky said:

327 federal magnum is the new iteration but Ruger is the only one making it anymore,

Click to expand...

Freedom Arms and Henry Rifles are also making guns in 327 Federal.

WrongHanded said:

To the best of my knowledge most people don't start with a .32 Magnum of any sort. That probably is due to the .38spl being as popular as it has been historical, couple with the suggestion that a new gun owner buy a .357 revolver because they can shoot .38s from it. So from a popularity stand point, I'd say the .357 usually is the first step in Magnum handgun cartridges, despite a .32 being smaller.

Click to expand...

Well there isn't that many guns chambered in .32 Magnum to begin with, with ammo not being widely available like .38 Special/.357 Magnum are. Full House 10mm is way easier to find, with more manufacturers of firearms in that caliber then they are of .32 and .327 Magnums...

EVERYTHING is dangerous or I wouldn't be killing it.
There is no such thing as a threat that is now "too dead".