.357 Mag Hunting Rounds
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Salmoneye-
It was def. Hydra-Shok. I don't think Vital Shok was even on the market then
He also had a tech there chronograph some of the 129 grain .38 Hydra-Shok for me, to use the data in an article. I was comparing snubs and three-inch barrels. I asked about the 158 grain .357 Hydra-Shok, also, as it was what I was carrying in my duty weapon then. We were discussing how it'd fare on humans, and he exclaimed that it was sure effective on deer. He had seen it so used, I believe, and gotten additional feedback from customers.
Personally, I don't think I'd take a raking shot on deer with a .357 unless the animal was pretty small, but for side-on shots, into the lungs or heart, I feel that it's an adequate load in the right hands, at reasonable ranges. And I think Hydra-Shok would be very effective. I have seen Vital Shok only in rifle calibers, but if they make it in .357, it's probably good, too.
Remngton has also made a 165 grain .357 round meant specifically for hunting. I don't know if they still make it, and currently shy away from that brand in both ammo and guns, due to quality issues. I have a box of it that I keep in case I ever find myself in bear country. It is not just a slightly heavier version of their 158 grainer. It is constructed differently.
It was def. Hydra-Shok. I don't think Vital Shok was even on the market then
He also had a tech there chronograph some of the 129 grain .38 Hydra-Shok for me, to use the data in an article. I was comparing snubs and three-inch barrels. I asked about the 158 grain .357 Hydra-Shok, also, as it was what I was carrying in my duty weapon then. We were discussing how it'd fare on humans, and he exclaimed that it was sure effective on deer. He had seen it so used, I believe, and gotten additional feedback from customers.
Personally, I don't think I'd take a raking shot on deer with a .357 unless the animal was pretty small, but for side-on shots, into the lungs or heart, I feel that it's an adequate load in the right hands, at reasonable ranges. And I think Hydra-Shok would be very effective. I have seen Vital Shok only in rifle calibers, but if they make it in .357, it's probably good, too.
Remngton has also made a 165 grain .357 round meant specifically for hunting. I don't know if they still make it, and currently shy away from that brand in both ammo and guns, due to quality issues. I have a box of it that I keep in case I ever find myself in bear country. It is not just a slightly heavier version of their 158 grainer. It is constructed differently.
hardluk1
member
The difference between deer and people to me is I don't care if a bullet mucks up the insides of a deer AND continues on thru the other side with enough energy to kill again. You do that with heavy pure lead jacketed soft points or heavy quality hp's. Not light weight bullets that may stay inside. Leave a blood trail if you have to track them.
Hokkmike
Member
Not to be a wet blanket but I have hunted with a .357 and would not recommend it. Handgun wise a .44 mag would be my minimum. Sorry - that's just my experience and, I think, good advice.
J-Bar
Member
Yes hemorrhage and blood loss will kill.
Yes breaking the spine will kill.
But there is one more reason to favor penetration over expansion...creation of a pneumothorax. Making a big enough hole in the chest wall allows air to enter the chest cavity and collapse the lungs. No deer is going to get very far if it can't breathe. How far can you run without taking a breath? Enough damage to one lung without an exit wound can create a "tension pneumothorax" which will kill the animal, although perhaps not as quickly as a through and through wound. Think "sucking chest wound" on soldiers...
I think this is one of the reasons why large caliber muzzleloaders shooting round balls, which make big exit wounds, are so effective on chest shots. Even if they miss the heart and aorta, they tear a big hole, collapse the lungs, and the deer suffocates before it bleeds to death.
So I would recommend a bullet that makes it all the way through the animal and makes a big exit wound. I have not used a .357 on deer, so unfortunately I cannot make a specific recommendation.
Twenty-four years of treating traumatic wounds to animals as a veterinarian in private practice leads me to this opinion.
Yes breaking the spine will kill.
But there is one more reason to favor penetration over expansion...creation of a pneumothorax. Making a big enough hole in the chest wall allows air to enter the chest cavity and collapse the lungs. No deer is going to get very far if it can't breathe. How far can you run without taking a breath? Enough damage to one lung without an exit wound can create a "tension pneumothorax" which will kill the animal, although perhaps not as quickly as a through and through wound. Think "sucking chest wound" on soldiers...
I think this is one of the reasons why large caliber muzzleloaders shooting round balls, which make big exit wounds, are so effective on chest shots. Even if they miss the heart and aorta, they tear a big hole, collapse the lungs, and the deer suffocates before it bleeds to death.
So I would recommend a bullet that makes it all the way through the animal and makes a big exit wound. I have not used a .357 on deer, so unfortunately I cannot make a specific recommendation.
Twenty-four years of treating traumatic wounds to animals as a veterinarian in private practice leads me to this opinion.
hardluk1
member
Granted a 45lc, 44 or 41 mag is far better than a 357 just use the heavest sp or hp bullet you can get running at a faster than average pass and know when to let a deer walk on by.
USSR
Member
I have shot 2 deer with the .357 Magnum, and here is my take on it. First, the .357 Magnum is a marginal deer cartridge. Do not use lightweight, hollowpoint self defense ammo because, as previously mentioned, complete penetration with an exit wound is important. If you must use the .357 Magnum, use at least a 158gr softpoint or hard cast bullet. A 180gr softpoint is fine also, but realize that it will likely have a very high POI in relation to your POA. I have since moved on to the .45 Colt for deer, which is superior in every way when it comes to dispatching deer. Just MHO.
Don
Don
TexasPatriot.308
Member
the .45 Colt with Buffalo Bore heavy loads is my favorite, but the .357 mag with 180 grain Buffalo Bore does a helluva job with less recoil.
Deaf Smith
Member
I have come to the conclusion the .357 Magnum, unless fired from a long barrel and using max charges, is a good field gun and useful in a pinch to take deer but that is it.
Now if you have a 6 inch bbl. .357 loaded way up it might be ok for deer that are close, as in 50 yards, but I do prefer my .44 magnum, which I will be hunting deer with this Nov. 2nd here in Texas, for such work.
A 158gr JHP at 1350 through the ribs will do the job, but it might not do the job so ell if the placement is off or the bullet has to go through the shoulder bone. The .44 or such have a bit more leeway in placement of the round.
Deaf
Now if you have a 6 inch bbl. .357 loaded way up it might be ok for deer that are close, as in 50 yards, but I do prefer my .44 magnum, which I will be hunting deer with this Nov. 2nd here in Texas, for such work.
A 158gr JHP at 1350 through the ribs will do the job, but it might not do the job so ell if the placement is off or the bullet has to go through the shoulder bone. The .44 or such have a bit more leeway in placement of the round.
Deaf
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