I have friends that have taken multiple deer with .357 handguns. A .357 will get the job done as long as you realize your range will be limited (and I think you already know that). Now what is the maximum range? Well that's a can of worms I don't care to open.
If you will let me spend your money for a minute
this is what I would buy.
If you’re planning on using iron sights my pick would be a Win 94 trapper. I love mine, it’s been on more boondoggles than I care to count. It’s light, compact, and relatively cheap. Winchester has several other options, but this is my personal favorite. However, I don’t care for the factory sights on my trapper and have been meaning to replace them a Marbles full buckhorn rear and a contour front. You can check those out here
www.marblesoutdoors.com/index.html it’s a much cheaper option than a scope and I think it will help your accuracy. Another popular option is an Ashley rear ghost-ring sight. I think either choice would be an improvement.
I you’re considering mounting a scope I think a scout scope mount like seen here
www.aosights.com/scope_mount.html might be just the ticket. I think this type of mount looks better than a traditional mount and the rifle seems to have a better balance with this type of mount. I had a 30-30 with a similar mount that I probably should have kept. One of my next purchases is going to be a marlin ss .44 mag with this type of mount.
Hope this helps, and if you ever need help spending your money let me know.
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