There is no way a .357 mag will take a whitetail.

Two have fallen to my Blackhawk and one to my Rossi carbine. We have baby deer down here, though. They aren't the 1500 lbers they have up in Kansas.

I can shoot it well. I’m confident with it to 40 yards or so which will be the maximum distance I take a shot.

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With a correct slug and the parameters you've laid out, nothing wrong with your choice at all.

I wouldn't worry, just make your shot count, like you should with any gun.

.45 acp ... I want to see that!

Up until a few years ago, you couldn't hunt with a .357 magnum in TN. Now you can.

Good point-

Are there any specific laws in your area? I know here in Utah deer with a handgun reqires a 4" barrel, and a minimum of 500 ft. lbs. of muzzle energy. A full snort 357 makes that cut.

Up until a few years ago, you couldn't hunt with a .357 magnum in TN.

It is still illegal in Wyoming.

Looks like legally you should be fine in TX (no mention of limiting centerfire cartridges, all rimfires not allowed)

If you can't drop a deer with a .357 then a lot of them must die from fright when someone tries because they are usually dead. LOL

I keep coming across these asinine hand gunning threads were people are like "no way dude, a .44 mag is the bare minimum for whitetail

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Are you sure? I read a lot of hunting and shooting forums and have never heard or seen that opinion expressed. Can you post some links? I'd like to read them.

I planned on taking my 66 out and trying to take a deer with it this season. Seems I may need to bring all of my speedloaders and some EXTREME SHOCK ammo

All serious though, I don't see why it wouldn't be sufficient.

Killed many with handguns over the years.
I think Stephen Camp (hipowersandhandguns.com) shot and killed one with a 9mm HiPower with one round. This is not really that surprising.
My mom kills them cleanly with a T/C single shot pistol in .357 with 158 Grain JSPs. Works every time.
I shot them with my carry piece before. .45ACP from a Commander, and a S&W 4516. You have to get a good shot, but the round works fine.
Didn't Elmer Kieth shoot African big game with a pre-model 27? (And a russian spy sattelite with a .44 special?)

I took an eight point that weighed 200 pounds field dressed..... with a Glock 21 loaded with Federal JHP Hydra-shock .45 ACPs. I shot him out of a tree stand at under 50 feet. The bullet went through one lung and the heart. The deer ran about 80 feet before dropping in his tracks.

IMO pistol hunting is more like bow hunting... it's all about patience and shot placement.

The deer ran about 80 feet before dropping in his tracks

How far does he have to run to not drop in his tracks?

Bison

Whitetail? Of course not. Bison, on the other hand, are just push-overs.

Not long after I joined THR I was jawing with the folks at a local gun shoppe in Reno (Silver State Arms).

Fella walks in carrying two 8.5x11 sheets of computer paper and a grin the size of a small canyon.

Evidently, he had some kind of running bet with Joe (who hunts Africa whenever he can).

I came over to see what the fuss was all about.

Fella's son was home from Iraq for the month, and they'd been elk & bison hunting on a ranch in Utah. He had two photos from that hunt, enlarged to full page and printed out.

First photo is his son, buzz cut and all, taking a knee with his .308 and the elk he'd just shot. Nice trophy.

The other photo was taken by the son and showed this fella kneeling by a full-grown bison. No rifle. It took me a moment to grasp what I was seeing: he was holding a 4-inch S&W 686, and wearing that same canyon-grin.

We all had to know the particulars (like he was gonna keep any of that a secret). I'm not clear on whether he left his rifle in the truck on purpose, but when the herd showed up, all he had was the sidearm.

Hard cast lead, 70 yards (or 71, according to him), through-and-through, with the buffalo trotting about ten yards to collapse.

Hard to argue with a photo. Ever since I began relating this story I've kicked myself for not getting at least a Xerox of that picture.

However, that photo and that conversation helped me make up my mind for my next rifle. I had been eyeballing a Marlin 1894C in .357 and wondering if it could close the deal on deer-sized game. I reckon if a .357 from a 4-inch barrel can do a bison, that same round from a 20-inch barrel can do deer.

I should call Joe. Maybe, even after three years, he can hook me up with a copy of that picture.

The majority of Nebraska whitetails I have taken have been with a Taurus Model 66 in .357 magnum, and an HK USP Tactical (permanently modified mag to ensure legality in NE) in 45 ACP with handloads.

Both have worked exceptionally well when I do my part.

The guides I hunted with in Idaho for bear have killed more bears with 357 pistol or rifle than most of us will ever see. I asked them why the 357 not a 44 or big bore pistol and all they said was "well we been using 357 forever and it works so why change now... shoot straight and they die just fine''.

I am sure if it will work good for black bear it should be just fine for white tail.

Up until a few years ago, you couldn't hunt with a .357 magnum in TN. Now you can

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It may be due to the state trying to get hunters out in the woods. I understand that in Tennesse, they now let Bubba shoot while seated in a 4 wheeler.

How far does he have to run to not drop in his tracks?

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I guess he could die in mid-leap, or in canyon country mid-fall. Or would that be considered dropped in mid-drop.
I've killed a couple of hogs with mine but no deer....yet.

I would agree that a .44 Magnum would be better for deer, but that's not to say that a .357 wouldn't get the job done. There have been way too many killed with the round to say that. As has been said before, more limitations lie with the shooter than the firearm.

I shot him out of a tree stand....

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What was a deer doing in your treestand?

Where I hunt (Southern Iowa) the big corn fed bucks can run 300 lbs plus. Given a choice between a .44 Mag and .357, I’d take the .44 Mag any day. If someone was looking to buy a new handgun for deer hunting and was asking for a recommendation, again, I’d recommend the .44 Mag.

However, with that said, if you want to use a .357 it’s more than adequate. You might want to consider using a 180 gr bullet. I used a scoped 6” S&W 686 for one deer season (1996 IIRC). Didn’t fill my tag that season, so I never got to test it. The next year I traded that 686 for a Ruger SBH Hunter in .44 Magnum.

I know for a fact it works on a big MT Mule deer, but my example is not what you are looking for..... medium sized muley doe walking past me oblivious to my presence and I shot it in the eye at executioner distance with a 4" security six.

Stiab, I certainly did not mean to imply that everyone felt this way, but there were more than enough post about how anemic the .357 mag was.

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You and I must be reading different forums!