.357 for deer

I used 158 gr factory loads in Ruger. No problem at close range. That's the minimum cartridge here for deer.

The animal did eventually die (nice deer, 180 lb 6 pt) but it was a pretty bad drag as it ran through some rough country.

Click to expand...

I have at least 4 stories like this one from my .357 mag hunts. About the same number of fairly quick kills.

As a result I stick to rifles and recently have been having fun with a 375HH. Drags are shorter these days.

Click to expand...

I ain't THAT mad at deer. Most all of my rifle kills are bang flops. A good bullet in the right spot is the key. Actually, .257 Roberts is one of my favorite rifles for deer, killed a couple dozen in my hand and I don't know how many for my grandpa. With a 100 grain Sierra Game King, it ain't broke. It's a lot easier on me than a .375 H&H, too.

I had concerns about the .357 as well but I shot a nice doe this year with a H&R Handi-Rifle in .357 and it worked with one shot through the lungs/heart. I was not overly impressed with the .140 gr Hornady LeveRevolution bullet and its terminal performance although it did do its job. Doe was at about 40 yards and moving and hit quartering away. Within reason, I believe it always comes back to shot placement more than the caliber/bullet.

BTW, a quick plug for the Handi-Rifle! Nothing sexy or "tacti-xotical" about it but incredibly accurate and fast to the target as well as inexpensive. I also love me some .257 Roberts! Just a fantastic cartridge and easy to shoot.

My daughter, age 14, took her first buck with a Marlin 1894C .357. Load was Remington 158gr JSP.

Story here: http://pawpawshouse.blogspot.com/2012/01/357-for-deer.html

Bullet 158 gr. Winchester JHP .
Full charge of H110 .
Six inch revolver .
Deer , good size doe 45 yds .
Doe was shot in rear , turning away as shot was fired .
Bullet travels through deer to left shoulder blade , ricocheting out through front corner of right lung .
Wound track looked like a one inch pipe running through doe .
Most of the travel was through the white tallow under the backbone .
Doe ran maybe fifty yds .

The Termite

Your daughter got a nice deer. Congtats. Was the rifle scoped? Who would have believed the bullet would go through 3 feet. My .357 shots always go through the deer as they have been across. Have fun and bangaway.

180gr XTP's outa my 6.5 Blackhawk and my Marlin, handloads.

Much of the factory 357 ammo has been loaded down, stick with BB or Double Tap or other "full house" loads.

158's out of my Rossi carbine punch straight through both sides and leave a nice big hole.

I think the 357 mag from a revolver is the bare minimum for whitetail hunting and you should keep your ranges to recurve bow hunting ranges (40 yards max).

I used a 41 mag revolver and it is a good choice (as is the 44 mag) with a 5.5" or longer barrel. I have since moved to using a SRH in 480 Ruger which is serious whitetail medicine from a revolver.

So, my recommendation is that you choose something in 41 mag or larger for whitetail hunting. The 41 or 44 are much easier to learn to shoot due to the recoil.

1stmarine said:

Of course is fine. For decades people hunted with lever actions that had way less than that and now all the sudden folks feel they need a 50BMG to pop deer.
Have a happy hunting. Choose bullets with better BC that can give a bit more range if needed.

Click to expand...

My dad & grandad both popped deer with a .32 Rimfire Stevens falling block rifle which is still around the house somewhere.
Guess those old fashion deer didn't have any of the modern gurus around to tell them they weren't supposed to be dead.
Now according to some of my buddies I'm "seriously under gunned" with my 16" bbl Rossi Puma in .357 Mag with 5 times the muzzle energy of that old .32 Rimfire cartridge and my 16" Rossi Puma in .44 Mag which would be considered a "cannon" in those early days is "marginal".
As long as you remain cognizant of the range limitations of the carbines in pistol calibers you're good to go.

I think the 357 mag from a revolver is the bare minimum for whitetail hunting and you should keep your ranges to recurve bow hunting ranges (40 yards max).

Click to expand...

I'd say compound crossbow range, 60 yards, from experience. Heck, I'd take a broadside further out with my 180 handload in my 6.5" Blackhawk. 60 yards is probably a good limit on hogs, though.

newbuckeye

Look at the web Ballistics By The Inch.com to compare barrel vels. Try and view the Steve McQueen series called Branded to see a mares leg in action. Have fun and bangaway.

Like the OP I also live in Ohio. MOST shots are 100 yards or less. The .357 mag firing 158 180 gr is certainly "enough" gun for the ranges likely to be encountered in Ohio.

BTW, the Steve McQueen series was "Wanted Dead or Alive". Chuck Conners stared in "Branded".

I don't know about deer, but I shot a 350 lb oryx in the neck after trailing it with a hunter. Shot with a 4" barrel. It was standing looking at us about 10 yards away, one shot in the neck and it was all over.

ive shot a few deer with 357s out of handguns and it will do in a pinch but theres better handguns for the job. Id say on an average in my experience a deer hit well with a 357 will travel about twice as far as a deer hit in the same spot with something like a 44 mag. Out of a rifle it is a much more effective round and is a fine deer gun out to 75-100 yards. Not quite as effective as a 3030 levergun but it will kill deer cleanly.

ive shot a few deer with 357s out of handguns and it will do in a pinch but theres better handguns for the job. Id say on an average in my experience a deer hit well with a 357 will travel about twice as far as a deer hit in the same spot with something like a 44 mag.

Click to expand...

Can you quantify that with statistics of an adequate sample size and show a 95 percent confidence interval? IOW, can you PROVE it?

I didn't think so....another case of net opinion worth what ya pay for it.

357s are not my first choice for deer but they will do the trick at close range given the right ammo, many HPs are designed for very limited penatration which is not ideal for deer.

You need a good 158 to 180 grain soft point or hard cast bullet.

My dad shot a deer with a 357 this year, his first with a revolver. He used 180 grn XTP's, loaded hot. The bullet went through the heart, the wound channel pinched closed. The deer ran 35 yards and fell without leaving a drop of blood.

I've taken deer with 44-mag using 240 grn Federal Hydra-shocks. Both have fallen in place with a body shot. My dad is now in the market for a 44.

I've had 'em run further than 35 yards with a heart/lung shot from a .308. It happens.

Though I no longer hunt deer with handguns, I have over the years killed several with both 4" and 6" .357s with 125grn handloads and 158grn factory hollow points. Never needed but one shot in each instance. None was over about 50-60 yards. I'd have to give the caliber a thumbs up.

I was surprised by the knockdown power on a buck at close range 10-15 yards.