Anyone ever deer hunt with 4 inch 357?

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Just curious if anyone has taken a 4 inch 357 hunting. I've been practicing at 40 yards, Colt King Cobra Target, and I finally fell comfortable to take broadside shots. Has taken a lot of load tweaking and range time, but I feel confident to 40 yards broadside as I've said. Really wouldn't take a shot beyond that. The load I have dialed up in my gun is Hornady 125 XTP at about 1400 FBS.
 
While I have a 7.5” Ruger Blackhawk, I also have a 4” Ruger GP100. I have not taken anything with the .357, I would be fine with using the GP100. I would limit my range to 50 yards. This is my personal limit for handguns with iron sights.

But, I would use something heavier than 125 grain bullets. I load 158 grain bullets for my .357 handguns.
 
For humane kills, always use the best
and most efficient method in hunting.

If you have to ask, you're doubtful.

Return to a decent rifle and its caliber.

But regarding .357s or .38s for that matter,
knew of (Chicago) Cook County, IL, sheriff's deputies
who put out salt licks. They were supplying
a local restaurant. :barf::barf::barf::barf::barf::barf::barf::barf::barf::barf::barf:
 
Lots of folks have, with great success. I never have - I just worry that there isn't quite enough horsepower in reserve. That's kind of a personal foible, though. I too would suggest a 158 (or even a 180) in place of the 125, but frankly, if you can put any of them through heart and lungs then you can break out your skinning knife.
 
I've thought about it but ultimately decided if I were going to limit myself to 50 yard max broadside only shots I'll just take up bowhunting with its much longer season and ability to take either does or bucks.
 
I’ve shot a decent doe with a Dan Wesson 357 mag 6 inch barrel with 158gr flat lead nose bullet at about 35 yards. First shot knocked her down but she jumped back up and I had to shoot her again. Ended up tracking her a 500 yards before I found her expired. Both shots where in boiler room, first shot actually broke her front shoulder, but the flat noses penciled through and exited.
The experience put me off 357 for deer. I could have switched to a HP and probably been alright, but I ended up switching to 41 Mag with Speer deep curl HP’s.
 
I'm going to say that I have taken four deer with my four inch 357s.
I'm sure I took two with my python, and at least one each with a 4⅝ Blackhawk, and a Taurus Tracker 4".
My success was 100% but the tracking after the shot was long. Certainly not the fault of the gun.
All shots were complete pass thru, but if you're gonna use a 357 you need expanding bullets driven fast or you end up with a pencil sized hole that doesn't stop a deer very fast. It will.....but not very quickly.
IMHO...and my $.04 worth.
 
I've only used my 6.5in Blackhawk, with 158/180 XTP's loaded hot.
If you put those rounds where they belong the kill is quick .
Find a load that you can shoot accurate, and the 357 will work great.
 
2 3/4" Security Six, by accident. Long story but one head shot at fifteen yards. 4" Sec Six, another "opportunity too good to pass" while checking trail cams. Neck shot (which I avoid like the plague but had steady rest at 18 yards).
Would not purposely do it. My 6" 686, or 10" Contender, yes I do.
 
I’ve killed 3 deer with my 4” sp101 and that was enough for me to conclude that a short barrel 357 does not hit with the authority that I want for hunting deer.
 
Steve in PA said:
But, I would use something heavier than 125 grain bullets. I load 158 grain bullets for my .357 handguns.
Click to expand...
^^^ I agree. I have taken several deer with a 6" .357 revolver using 158 gr JSPs/Deep Curls(old Gold Dots). Bullets designed for hunting medium size game. Most 125 gr bullets in .357 are designed for SD scenarios meaning quick expansion and not deep penetration. Penetration is key with the .357 and deer when using a handgun.
 
125 gr. Hollow points is considered suitable for small to medium deer. I’d hate to get a shot at a large deer, then have to track it half a mile or just badly wound it because it wouldn’t go through the shoulder.

Go with a 158 gr. Hollow point; maybe one of those pointy Hornady bullets to keep its energy better at range. I think the 158 gr. will also give you more energy at the muzzle, because the powder can burn longer in the short barrel.

180 gr. would be even better. There’s an article linked in the “What happened to .40” thread from a New Zealand hunting family/company that talks a lot about it, and with a lot of real Field experience. It’s long, but worth the read.
 
Smaug said:
125 gr. Hollow points is considered suitable for small to medium deer. I’d hate to get a shot at a large deer, then have to track it half a mile or just badly wound it because it wouldn’t go through the shoulder.

Go with a 158 gr. Hollow point; maybe one of those pointy Hornady bullets to keep its energy better at range. I think the 158 gr. will also give you more energy at the muzzle, because the powder can burn longer in the short barrel.

180 gr. would be even better. There’s an article linked in the “What happened to .40” thread from a New Zealand hunting family/company that talks a lot about it, and with a lot of real Field experience. It’s long, but worth the read.
Click to expand...

i do have some 180 gr hard cast that shoot ok at 25 yards. Never reached out beyond that with those bullets. Maybe i will try some tomorrow at 40 yards.
 
The first deer that I took with a handgun was with a 4" Ruger Security Six and 125 Speer HotCor. It was a 30 yard shot with the doe quartering to me. I took her on the point of the shoulder and she dropped right there. Since then I have gone to a 6"GP100 with 180gr XTP's. I want 2 holes in a deer and the 125gr doesn't always do it. The 180gr shoot very well in the GP. With a red dot and a solid rest it will keep all six rounds on a 8x10 target paper out to 100 yards.
 
Only ever did with 6" barrels (357 or 44mag)or longer. I find the extra sight radius to help tremendously when making more precise shots, especially in lower light, with funky contrast in the background, and at awkward angles from elevated positions, and often a slightly moving target.. Or the combination of the above variables makes me want to have some wiggle-room for my human errors too....sometimes I compensate for those with my 8-3/8" model 29.
 
You may want to check your hunting regs. Some states, like Wisconsin, require a 6 inch barrel because it will produce 1,000 ft/pd. with a .357
 
Thomasss said:
You may want to check your hunting regs. Some states, like Wisconsin, require a 6 inch barrel because it will produce 1,000 ft/pd. with a .357
Click to expand...
All good. Pa regs do not specify length just manually operated, ie revolver, or single shot.
 
Tree stand and shooting down for a neck shot, a .357 will do. A .45 will do. Knew a guy who used a .45, but he was shooting from a tree stand and the distance was a grand total of "here to there." A few paces.

But if shooting at any distance and going for a shoulder shot, then go for a rifle.

Accuracy is everything for a humane instant kill.
 
Old Hobo said:
Tree stand and shooting down for a neck shot, a .357 will do. A .45 will do. Knew a guy who used a .45, but he was shooting from a tree stand and the distance was a grand total of "here to there." A few paces.

But if shooting at any distance and going for a shoulder shot, then go for a rifle.

Accuracy is everything for a humane instant kill.
Click to expand...
Yup. Tree stand or ground blind is the way to go with a handgun and deer. A rifle is preferred for accuracy but I've taken plenty of deer with a 4-5/8" RBH and 158gr. .357Mags. The old Speer 140gr. SJHP over 8gr. of Unique was my goto for close to a decade. Hit them in the spine between the shoulder blades and down they go. Otherwise, from the ground, you NEED a quartering shot, a heavy bullet like the old 180gr. Lyman or a 200gr. WFN with a massively wide meplat, and LOTS of velocity. Close to rifle charges, really, and enough barrel to let that slow powder work. For pigs - which are darned tasty!! - walking around or tracking, a revolver is preferred and frankly not much is required but very good shot placement and the patience to let the pigs run at you.
 
Too many rifles that can do a better job. I wouldn't hunt with anything but a rifle, I can shoot 50 yds with revolver and get everything on a pie plate but I need more than that to hunt. 4 MOA is my cutoff. That's 2'' at 50 yards.

If you can do that I'd say go for it.
 
I don’t have much use for 4” 357mags, but I have used a bunch of 357’s in the past - the only difference being sight radius, which isn’t THAT consequential.

It has been about 10 years ago now, but my wife took a doe at around 30yrds with a 2.25” SP101. I can’t recall whether it was the Leverevolution or Critical Defense load, but I recall it was one or the other. It works - if you’re diligent enough to practice and patient enough to wait for the shot. Which is largely true for any weapon, the performance limitations of short barreled revolvers are just more restrictive than some other options.

It’s been many more years ago, but I took a couple deer with a Glock 19 one season to prove a point. A 4” 357mag should be more shootable and more effective at range than a G19.
 
I can't speak for deer but the first handgun hogs I took were downed with a 6.5 inch Blackhawk in .357 back in 1981 (I think). The range was probably about 25 yards and the revolver performed well.
 
Varminterror said:
the only difference being sight radius, which isn’t THAT consequential.
Click to expand...

I don't know your age but have a sneaking suspicion that you will be changing you mind about statement sometime in the future. It has certainly become a difference for me but I am deep into geezerhood. Those of you that haven't made there yet are in for some big surprised when you do get there, most of which aren't on the enjoyable side of the slate.

I bought a 357 and then a 44 mag specifically to hunt deer but each year I would get to thinking about the distance I always got my previous shots at and that it one chance and that was about it for the year. I always chickened out and took my trusty '06 and never made one pistol hunt for deer.
 
doubleh said:
I don't know your age but have a sneaking suspicion that you will be changing you mind about statement sometime in the future.
Click to expand...

I started hunting with revolvers almost 30 years ago. My eyes started going bad in my early teens, and have been on a downward spiral since. Iron sights aren’t my friend, but it really doesn’t matter whether I use a 10” barrel or a 1 7/8” barrel, iron sights suck for me.

Red dots and scopes - life is grand (tolerating the bug splatter shape of my red dots, naturally).
 
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