There is no way a .357 mag will take a whitetail.

[BlayGlock]

And I disagree with the entire premise that a .357 mag cannot reliably take a deer or is not adequate. The hunter is the one who is "marginal" if this is the case.

In the original post I was simply poking fun. Some folks immediatly got that, and they seemed to understand where I was coming from (like AKElroy).

 

[ghoster]

been droping deer in ohio with a blackhawk since dad bought it when i was 10.
48 now and just bought a 460 guess they just wernt dead enough.

actually i want to shoot on out to 150 yd as we have a lot of feilds to hunt and i want to try moose with a handgun and thought that with their plesant disposition i should use a little more gun.

 

[Nevertoomanyguns]

Don't you know deer are getting stronger and stronger every year and require more powerful cartridges every passing season? My primary hunting rifle is a M94 30-30 win. and it has done the job every time I let the hammer fall. I also carry a 6" 686 with hand loaded 180gr. cast performance bullets. I have yet to take a buck with the .357 but that’s only because every time a buck comes into range I grab my dang rifle instead of my revolver. I am going to try and change that this year. My Uncle on the other hand has shot one buck with his 6" Colt python with Remington 158gr. jacketed soft points. He shot it at about 30 yards right through the boiler room buck jump three times and dropped. That buck ended up being a 10pt. that dressed out at 224 pounds. So it will kill big bodied bucks too.

By the way I have read these post on a lot of forums too. They either say the .357 is marginal at best or it is way too under powered and you need to use a .44mag at a bare minimum. I think for the most part most shooters can shoot a .357 more accurately without flinching than they can a .44mag. so why not use a gun that you shoot accurately and still have the power to take that buck down? I also own a SBH hunter in .44mag, I love this gun but the 686 carries nicer.

 

[stiab]

It is not an exhaustive list by any means but maybe it will assuage your curiosity?

No, I still have not seen the threads you claimed. I am now convinced that you have not seen them either.

 

[Nevertoomanyguns]

Just type in hunting with a .357mag handgun, or deer hunting with a handgun in your browser's search and then read all the links and you will get a general taste that most posters push people away from the .357 towards a .44mag or larger. It also seems that posters expect the deer to drop in their tracks every time, isn't following a blood trail part of the hunt? If you poke a hole through the vitals they will die. Plus, any shot through the vitals with a bullet or broadhead, no matter how far they run before they die is a hell of a lot quicker and a more humane death then dieing from claw and fang or Mother Nature!

 

[natman]

It also seems that posters expect the deer to drop in their tracks every time, isn't following a blood trail part of the hunt?

I don't expect them to drop in their tracks every time, I just feel obligated to do everything I can to make it happen. And while following a blood trail is an obligation if you wound one, I do everything I can to avoid having to.

 

[BlayGlock]

Stiab, i posted a few links for you. Also, look at nevertoomanyguns post. I cant help you if you are going to continue being purposefully thick.

 

[Nevertoomanyguns]

How does following a blood trail mean that you wounded a deer? I have been fortunate enough that all of my deer have died within sight. My father shot a big 260 pound field dressed buck a couple of years ago with a .308 win, the bullet passed through both lungs, and yet the deer still went about 80 yards, and this is not a wounding shot? I also don't aim for the heart because I love eating the heart, and a double lung shot kills them quick enough.

 

[HarleyFixer]

I had killed several deer with my 686 before I started to lurk on these gun forums and read how undergunned I was.

Me too. I prefer 180gr softpoint.

 

[meadmkr]

Years ago I took a nice 4pt mulie with my Dan Wesson 6" .357 I was 20 feet up slowly climbing up to my treestand when he came crashing through a clearing and stopped on the trail practically right under me and was looking back in the direction he came from. There was NO WAY I was gonna be able to unsling & load yet alone shoot a 7mmMag while braced with climbing spikes & a safety rope yet alone without him hearing/seeing me. So I drew my pistol and dropped him with a downward shot through the spine (between the shoulders) using a 158g cast bullet. He literally fell with legs splayed out as if a ton of bricks had been dropped onto his back.
Turns out another hunter in our group was stalking him and up until he heard the gunshot but couldn't figure out what type of gun was fired (so he came up to see). Like others said its all about shot placement (and a heck of a lotta luck in being at the right place at the right time). I knew a number of other guys who shot mettalic silhouette in the early 80s (mostly using either TC Contenders or 6"-8" barrels) with various calibers and a number had taken deer with them.

Cheers
Chris in VA

 

[stiab]

Stiab, i posted a few links for you.

No you didn't post a few, you posted two, neither of which contained wording any where close to your initial claim of "There is no way a .357 mag will take a whitetail." You could just admit that you wanted to start a topic on this subject and had to invent some anti-.357 propaganda to get it going.

 

[williamd]

One fell to my Ruger semi 22rf pistol. bout 20 short paces looking right at me. I was not there to hunt WT, was sitting against a tree eating an apple and watching for squirrles, but had the tag so just popped him between the eyes and he fell like a haybale! I am sure the 357 would perform as well!

 

[BlayGlock]

Stiab, You are right. It was a vast conspiracy that Elvis, some aliens, and myself dreamed up to trick everyone. But you are so clever that you figured it out. And we would have gotten away with it too if it werent for you meddling kids.

 

[Art Eatman]

An' 4 pages are enuf...