Deer hunting .357

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buck460XVR said:
Yep....age and life experiences does that. I used to live for deer season, whether bow or gun. I was driven to succeed and success was only determined by the size or the amount of the animal/animals in the back of the truck. Now when I go, I have a hard time pulling the trigger, even on bucks I would have wet my pants over in my youth. I have found the the camaraderie of deer camp/season is a unique experience on it's own. Looking back, the fun of the hunt and the joy of experiencing it with friends and family are what I remember more than the size of the horn taken that year. Nowadays my time in the stand is spent thinking about the years past, not what I hope is coming down the trail. I too have only a few years left in me. Every time I go out, I tell myself it might be the last and to enjoy it, even if I see nuttin' to shoot. The thrill of watching the dog work or whatever bird is working the tree next to me, warms my heart.

So go, whether you have a gun or not. I know from experience, that not having a firearm in your hand during a hunt does not feel the same. Don't mean you have to use the one you have. I have found over the years that using a handgun as a primary weapon widens the experience, while taking a lot of pressure off. When your weapon is only good for 30 yards, you can know yourself anything else you see would have been in the truck if you had your old dependable long-gun. You learn to hunt to impress yourself and not others.....and you learn that having the opportunity to just go out and enjoy the woods one more time is paramount.
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Thanks Buck. Good post.
 
I think a heavy .44special load in the Magnum revolver is good advice. I would not hesitate to use the .357, but I would use at least a 180 grain bullet for sure. I think that's more of an ideal weight in that caliber, unless you are shooting people. That's only where lighter bullets and hollow points are useful. I shoot 200 cast bullets in my Highway Patrolman, but have never shot a deer with it.
 
d2wing - one thing you didn't mention was the barrel length of your .357 revolver or the model. If it is a GP-100 with a 4" barrel, you might want to keep those shots under 40 yds. unless you have a scope on it. If you have a 6" barrel, 50 yds. should be OK with or without a scope. I reload for my 4" with 158 gr. JHP and JSP bullets so I am inclined to agree with Enfielder in post #16 and use the JSP bullets. They might be able to break a rib more easily than the JHP bullets.
Good luck ! I hope you make a speedy recovery !
 
JTHunter said:
d2wing - one thing you didn't mention was the barrel length of your .357 revolver or the model. If it is a GP-100 with a 4" barrel, you might want to keep those shots under 40 yds. unless you have a scope on it. If you have a 6" barrel, 50 yds. should be OK with or without a scope. I reload for my 4" with 158 gr. JHP and JSP bullets so I am inclined to agree with Enfielder in post #16 and use the JSP bullets. They might be able to break a rib more easily than the JHP bullets.
Good luck ! I hope you make a speedy recovery !
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I have a Ruger 4 inch but can use a 6 inch Taurus. But no scopes.
 
Buck460: "Like with bow hunting, expecting a Bang-Flop from anything else but a spine/cns shot is a pipe dream. Use appropriate ammo. Most JHP in .357 are intended for SD against humans and expand too rapidly for deer while expending a lot of energy doing so. I prefer JSPs or Speer's 158gr Deep Curls. Keep shots to within 30 yards or so and stay away from the high shoulder shots. Shooting behind the shoulder using an appropriate bullet gives a better chance of a pass thru and getting both lungs and making two holes....giving a much more defined blood trail. Shooting lower on the body also means more blood sooner as the body cavity does not have to fill up first before blood starts to leak. Double lungers are usually blowing blood too........practice a lot and use some kind of rest if at all possible."

Very good advice...I'd add that limiting your range and having a demonstrated ability to place a cylinder full on a 6" pie plate from realistic field positions, are critical to success. We owe the game we hunt, a quick kill. Trailing a wounded animal for hours without personal remorse is in no way responsible. Were I you, I'd get a rifle or give up this season while you heal. Best regards, Rod
 
Limit your distance to inside 50 yards. Limited to thirty yards is fine. Millions of deer have been taken by bows inside 30 yards. Good shot placement is key.

It's deer camp! The important thing is being with family and friends. Enjoy your time in the woods. COVID has canceled my deer camp plans. I don't care if I get a deer it's not being able to go to camp.
 
I appreciate the advice. To be clear, I am a trained and competition winning pistol shot. But my ability to shoot is compromised. I agree completely about wounding a deer. If I wasn't concerned I wouldn't ask. In any case I agree that 30 yards is max range for the 357. I went to physical therapy today and also handled some rifles. I think I am good with a rifle but plan on bring a .357 or ported 44 mag loaded with 44 Specials and have both a rifle and revolver with me for whatever shot I am presented with. And if I don't get a shot that's ok. One of my great pleasures in life is to be on a stand or in this case a ground blind when the sun comes up in the woods opening day. deer stand.jpg
 
Enfielder said:
I shot a doe last year with a 158gr JSP. Scant blood track and then nothing. Lost her, and I even brought s dog the next day. I packed that Ruger up for shipping and got out my Blackhawk in .45 Colt. I haven't shot one yet but I think that a bigger hole will make a difference.

I'm thinking though, if I used my smoking hot .357 HP reloads, I might have had doe dinner that evening.
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If you did not recover the deer for examination, it could have been a gut-shot...inasmuch as you did not recover the deer, the anecdote is insufficient data from which to draw a conclusion as to the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of any cartridge or load.
 
d2wing said:
In any case I agree that 30 yards is max range for the 357.
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I've used 10mm for years off and on. Pretty close ballistics to 357. For pretty big whitetail in the Appalachian mountains. If you can hit the target id put the max range at least double 30 yards. I killed a 10 point buck a few years back with my delta at a bit over 50 yards. He hopped once and fell over. The 180 grain bullet went through both sides of the rib cage and stopped in the hide on the exit side.

I've also broke both wrists. One twice. (Atv and dirt and street bikes) . Never had any lasting damage from those. They healed nicely.. I still shoot 460 and 500s. And the 329pd. Some of my other breaks haven't fared as well. Collar bone being one that has intermittent pain 25 years later
 
dahermit said:
If you did not recover the deer for examination, it could have been a gut-shot...inasmuch as you did not recover the deer, the anecdote is insufficient data from which to draw a conclusion as to the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of any cartridge or load.
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I appreciate your anchoring to facts, but I did not present all the known facts. I'll forego asking for your faith on this matter, but I do know that I have lost my faith in the load I used at the time. I still have the weapon and I may use it again but for now, by choice, I'm going to blow a giant f***ing hole through my next pistol shot deer with my .45
That is no anecdote.
 
My uncle killed a doe with his 9mm. Happened a while back cant remember model or manufacturer. Not going into details about how it happened. But he still has the recovered bullet. 357 is fine for deer and two legged predator. Maybe small bear. But not going into that can o worms.
 
Meeks36 said:
My uncle killed a doe with his 9mm. Happened a while back cant remember model or manufacturer. Not going into details about how it happened. But he still has the recovered bullet. 357 is fine for deer and two legged predator. Maybe small bear. But not going into that can o worms.
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When I was 8 my cousin shot a deer with a 22 while we were rabbit hunting. Because I was the smallest, I had to ride home in the back of my Uncle’s station wagon sitting on the spare tire cover where the deer was hidden. My Dad didn’t let me go hunting with them anymore.

Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should do it.
 
Ru4real said:
When I was 8 my cousin shot a deer with a 22 while we were rabbit hunting. Because I was the smallest, I had to ride home in the back of my Uncle’s station wagon sitting on the spare tire cover where the deer was hidden. My Dad didn’t let me go hunting with them anymore.

Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should do it.
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My fil told me story's of folks he knew that where poachers. Weapon of choice was a 22 mag. Head and neck shots. Was he the one doing it? More then likely yes.
 
All of the preceding notwithstanding, D2, we all wish you a full and quick recovery...and by all means, stay upright on the bike!!
Best of luck, Rod (30,000+ miles on an old Harley and an '05 BMW 1200 GS, haven't laid either one down......yet....)
 
Have 44 mag ?
Try the BuffaloBore 44 Special load with 255 gr hard cast.
Got about 960 fps out of a 4 1/2" 44 SPL RBH.
Ballistics similar to traditional 45 Colt load that is pretty
Effective (with good shot placement) to about 40 yds.
However have not actually used this 44 SPL load on game.
 
If you practice and can hit a paper plate, or hopefully smaller group, consistently at your range you plan to shoot, up to 50-60 yards (if youre good enough shot to do that, i am not) .357 magnum is just fine. Use 158gr hollow points or JSP that are not watered down (like Remington Golden Saber 158jhps). Id say they have to be doing at least 1200fps (1,300-1,400 preferred!) to do what youre really going to want them to do.....penetrate almost all the way through the deer, at least enough to go through the vitals, and expand. ***Remember, many factory rounds made for the 357 magnum are not hunting rounds, they are made for self defense. They engineer these rounds to expand and penetrate only so far on soft tissue (12-15" off the top of my head)
IMHO for deer hunting you want much more than this. Slightly higher velocities, and hollow point bullet design that either doesnt expand as much or as quick, or a JSP bullet. Or a well crafted hard cast design (my preference) good luck and wish you a speedy recovery!
 
Armored farmer said:
My deer hunting experiences led me away from my .357s and more into .45s for dirty work.

Crossbow? (Its archery for gun lovers)
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I like your analogy for the crossbow. I purchased one and only used it for late archery after the firearm season in Central IL while hunting Sand Ridge state forest. Earlier season I used my Mathews.

Given the choice of using a 357 mag or not hunting I would use it. Just limit yourself to closer well placed shots. I would prefer 41mag, 44mag, or Ruger loads in 45 Colt.
 
d2wing said:
View attachment 952028
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OMG! That looks like the view from my Dad's stand for 40+ years on public land in West Central Wisconsin. Right down to the Blackbrush in the middle, the little ridge around the swamp and the other small swamp in the background. He's been gone for 14 years now. Even tho I rarely hunt that large parcel of Public Land for deer anymore, I still try to get back once every deer season just for the memories and always make my way to his old stand.
 
Last year I bagged small buck with 125 gr jsp 357 from my 73 Winchester replica during Iowa shotgun season. Carefully placed broadside shot thru heart/lung area. Recovered after deer ran @50 yds. That same shot with .490 round ball from Hawken rifle more often than not resulted In deer dropping on spot. But being able to use a classic lever gun made it memorable. I consider myself decent rifle shot, don't think I would have good chance of accuracy with handgun. But that is just me. I ride couple HD bikes and think deer woods are much safer than negotiating roads with other traffic. Glad you are recovering, good hunting.
 
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