Hunting with .357
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Erich
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Are you talking whitetail? Try to stalk up on them and get them w/i 50 yards. That shouldn't be too difficult, really.
Man, I wouldn't go below Buffalo Bore's or Georgia Arms' 158-gr full house loads with that thing, and I'd seriously consider the 180-grainers.
Your .357 is just starting to stretch its legs in a 4" tube . . . you might be pushing it, but plenty of folks have made it work.
Man, I wouldn't go below Buffalo Bore's or Georgia Arms' 158-gr full house loads with that thing, and I'd seriously consider the 180-grainers.
Your .357 is just starting to stretch its legs in a 4" tube . . . you might be pushing it, but plenty of folks have made it work.
steveno
Member
use the heaviest bullet your revolver will shoot the best and hold your shots to 50 yards at most and practice a lot. a 357 is a little light power wise but it will work and you have to have the will power to not shoot if not completely sure you can make the shot
I just discussed this with a co-worker who is a dedicated handgun hunter, but not a THR member. Anyway he also reccommends using at least 180 grain bullets and keep yourself limited to deer, Javelina, etc. He also told me that you would be better off using a six inch model instead of a four inch. He recommends the S&W 686, Ruger GP100 if you buy anthing new. If you're looking at something older the S&W M27/28, Colt King Cobra or the Ruger Redhawk in .357 magnum will do the trick. Big heavy solid revolvers. His personal reccomendation is the S&W 686. They're also drilled and tapped for scopes now. Good luck.
I've shot deer with handguns including 357 Magnums. I would recommend extensive practice for starters, bullet placement is critical since the 357 from a revolver is not a real powerhouse. Of the loads I have used I like the 158 grain XTP's pushed as fast as I could get them, but bear in mind that broadside or quartering away is all you can do with them. Heavy bone like a shoulder shot is not a good idea. If you went to a hunting specific 180 you can shoot the shoulder and get good performance, likewise with a good cast bullet of 158 grains or more.
You can do it, and have great success. Just know upfront that by choosing a 4" 357 revolver that you have placed a lot of restrictions on possible shot opportunities you might get that you would not have with a suitably loaded 44 mag, 45 Colt, or larger handgun. The shot has to be a perfect shot and done under the right circumstances or the chances of failure get high and get there fast with lower powered handguns. The limitations you would face with a 357 will be much like the limitations in bowhunting.
You can do it, and have great success. Just know upfront that by choosing a 4" 357 revolver that you have placed a lot of restrictions on possible shot opportunities you might get that you would not have with a suitably loaded 44 mag, 45 Colt, or larger handgun. The shot has to be a perfect shot and done under the right circumstances or the chances of failure get high and get there fast with lower powered handguns. The limitations you would face with a 357 will be much like the limitations in bowhunting.
Johnny Guest
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Right on, HSMITH!
The bow hunting analogy is excellent. I've done it, but won't again, except possibly at EXTREMELY close range. Same type of shot I'd take with a .32-20 or an M1 carbine.
Colt .357 4", 158 gr JHP at about 1250. Small 4-point at about 30 yards. Well hit on right shoulder, full penetration through lungs, stopping on far side skin. The deer limped for a ways and just took too long to drop, despite what I consider a perfectly placed shot. It took a finishing shot to put him down.
Maybe it would have been a different story with a six-inch tube, and a REALLY hot loaded, heavier bullet. I dunno. I just don't believe the .357 with "service level" loads to be a sporting proposition on deer at much beyond powder burn range. I'll take a .44 or .45, or perhaps a .41 mag.
I think we each should gauge our maximum hunting range in terms not only of bullet energy but personal capability. What's the max range you can keep three shots inside the humane kill area from a field position? I figure a ten-inch paper plate to equate to a white tail deer or hog. With a .45 Colt hunting load, fired from a sitting (on the ground, not from a bench) position, my limit is about 30 yards. Standing, more like twenty. Remember, the standard is three in a row, not three out of six.
Your capability may exceed mine. I admit, my eyes are not as good, and my hand is not as steady, as in those long lost days of yore . . . . I don't use optical sights on handguns (yet, anyway.)
Best,
Johnny
The bow hunting analogy is excellent. I've done it, but won't again, except possibly at EXTREMELY close range. Same type of shot I'd take with a .32-20 or an M1 carbine.
Colt .357 4", 158 gr JHP at about 1250. Small 4-point at about 30 yards. Well hit on right shoulder, full penetration through lungs, stopping on far side skin. The deer limped for a ways and just took too long to drop, despite what I consider a perfectly placed shot. It took a finishing shot to put him down.
Maybe it would have been a different story with a six-inch tube, and a REALLY hot loaded, heavier bullet. I dunno. I just don't believe the .357 with "service level" loads to be a sporting proposition on deer at much beyond powder burn range. I'll take a .44 or .45, or perhaps a .41 mag.
I think we each should gauge our maximum hunting range in terms not only of bullet energy but personal capability. What's the max range you can keep three shots inside the humane kill area from a field position? I figure a ten-inch paper plate to equate to a white tail deer or hog. With a .45 Colt hunting load, fired from a sitting (on the ground, not from a bench) position, my limit is about 30 yards. Standing, more like twenty. Remember, the standard is three in a row, not three out of six.
Your capability may exceed mine. I admit, my eyes are not as good, and my hand is not as steady, as in those long lost days of yore . . . . I don't use optical sights on handguns (yet, anyway.
)Best,
Johnny
stans
Member
I agree, six inch barrel at a minimum, bullets not less than 158 grains, soft point or LSWC would probably be best, broadside shot at no more than 50 yards. Many years ago Robert Shimek did an article on whitetail hunting with the 357. He recommended barrels of six inches or more and broadside shots at no more than 50 yards. The controversial thing he recommended was using 125 grain bullets. But he warned that if the 125 grain bullet hit a rib or any other bone, it was likely to explode into fragments and not penetrate. He was using a scoped S&W model 19, I think it had an 8-3/8" barrel.
If you reload look up lil gun you may be surprised at what speeds you can get from a 4†tube. I have been able to hit 1400 with a 158 xtp with out showing pressures in my 4†GP100. This brings it above most loads in a 6â€. I still haven’t tried it on deer I’m just not comfortable in my accuracy yet. Little more range time.
Hornet
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dairycreek
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I have taken several deer with a 357!
And, unless you can get terrific shot placement, I don't recommend hunting deer with a 357! All of the deer I took with a 357 were one shot head shots and, to be honest, I was really lucky each time. Many of the guys with whom I have hunted, and who used 357's, did not have the patience or skill to get good shots and this resulted in wounded, lost deer.
I don't hunt with the 357 any more preferring to use a 44 magnum which IMHO is just a better choice for taking game. FWIW - Good shooting
And, unless you can get terrific shot placement, I don't recommend hunting deer with a 357! All of the deer I took with a 357 were one shot head shots and, to be honest, I was really lucky each time. Many of the guys with whom I have hunted, and who used 357's, did not have the patience or skill to get good shots and this resulted in wounded, lost deer.
I don't hunt with the 357 any more preferring to use a 44 magnum which IMHO is just a better choice for taking game. FWIW - Good shooting
I've read a LOT about this for many years. The concensus from experienced shooters seems to be to stick to side-on or quartering shots, but do you really want to pop a buck in the butt with ANY gun, if you have any choice at all?
Bullets of 140-158 grains do well, and Remington has a 165 grain hunting load in .357. A big deer might need a 180 grain bullet, and they seem to work, but may require re-sighting the gun from your usual carry load. Velocity will be less than lighter bullets, but penetration will be deep.
I recall an old, "Gun Digest" in which once very popular gun writer Larry Koller (deceased now) hit a whitetail with a 125 grain bullet from a Colt Diamondback .38 with four-inch barrel. The deer dropped to the shot. I just finished a post by Stephen Camp, I believe, who told how he dropped a deer with a 9mm auto. One shot, one deer. It dropped at once. Shot placement and keeping the range under 50-60 yards is important.
I wouldn't go for a shoulder shot with a .357 or 9mm, Super .38, .357 SIG, etc. A shoulder blade might cause problems. The high lung shot ought to work nicely.
You can expect a six- inch gun to add some 80 feet per second to your four-inch barrel's velocity. The longer gun may have a better balance for you, and will have less blast than shorter guns. But I feel certain that an average sized deer hit right with a good .357 is about to become venison.
Oh: one writer used his S&W M66 with 2.5-inch barrel and 125 grain Hornady XTP ammo to kill alligators. That's a pretty good endorsement of the .357 as a deer round, I'd think.
Lone Star
Bullets of 140-158 grains do well, and Remington has a 165 grain hunting load in .357. A big deer might need a 180 grain bullet, and they seem to work, but may require re-sighting the gun from your usual carry load. Velocity will be less than lighter bullets, but penetration will be deep.
I recall an old, "Gun Digest" in which once very popular gun writer Larry Koller (deceased now) hit a whitetail with a 125 grain bullet from a Colt Diamondback .38 with four-inch barrel. The deer dropped to the shot. I just finished a post by Stephen Camp, I believe, who told how he dropped a deer with a 9mm auto. One shot, one deer. It dropped at once. Shot placement and keeping the range under 50-60 yards is important.
I wouldn't go for a shoulder shot with a .357 or 9mm, Super .38, .357 SIG, etc. A shoulder blade might cause problems. The high lung shot ought to work nicely.
You can expect a six- inch gun to add some 80 feet per second to your four-inch barrel's velocity. The longer gun may have a better balance for you, and will have less blast than shorter guns. But I feel certain that an average sized deer hit right with a good .357 is about to become venison.
Oh: one writer used his S&W M66 with 2.5-inch barrel and 125 grain Hornady XTP ammo to kill alligators. That's a pretty good endorsement of the .357 as a deer round, I'd think.
Lone Star
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