What's a better deer rifle? .357 Magnum or 45 Long Colt?

[CTI1USNRET]

... When you have to hold 4 feet above a target shooting offhand it’s not a responsible shot.

That's a ridiculous thing to say. I haven't had to hold 4 ft over the target with my Rossi 45 Colt to hit a target at 200 yards. I hold dead on. I put in quite a bit of the time at the range to develop my range card in 10 yard increments. It tells me which step on the rear sight I need to use at various distances out to 200 yards. I haven't even used the highest step on the buckhorn sights.

[Drm50]

With 45 Colt zeroed at 50’ put up a target at 100yds on large cardboard. Note the hold over to hit bullseye. I really don’t know what hold over is a 200yds or how it relates to steps on back sight but it’s substantial. The point I was trying to make. Shooting targets of bench at known distance is not same as shooting random offhand at game. With irons at 200yds you may hit the deer , but where?
I have buddies that play off the bench and sight in guns for long range. They can shoot some really good groups. When you look at a deer and it’s at a range it’s running back and forth on width of your front sight and you’re offhand, your going to tell me you can make a kill shot with a 45 carbine. Not a easy task with a 30/06 and irons. It really doesn’t make a difference other than hold over. Sight picture will be the same.

[David LaPell]

As much as I would like a .357 Lever action, the .45 Colt is a bigger and heavier bullet. Range will be about the same when it comes to the limits, 100 yards or less, both are brush cartridges. I'm all for letting in more air in and blood out with a bigger round like the .45 Colt. A good hard cast SWC with a wide meplat in the .45 Colt in something like 255 grains will do great. The .357 is great too, but the .45 Colt is just the best of both worlds.

[Prairie Cowboy]

Currently I own a Miroku 1873 in .44-40, a couple of .45-70 Marlin 1895s, a JM Marlin 336C in .30-30, an 1894C in .357 Magnum, and an 1894 Cowboy with a 20" tapered octagon barrel in .45 Colt.

Comparing them all, the Marlin Cowboy in .45 Colt is the best of the bunch combining handling, balance, weight, aim-ability with open sights, and esthetic appeal. So, given the two choices of cartridge, it would easily be my first choice.

However, the 1894C with it's 18 1/2" barrel is lighter and handier and has similar attributes. And the .357 Magnum can deliver 1750 FPS with a 158 grain JSP boolit, so it's my second choice.

[leadeye]

My go to bullet for the Henry BB in 45 Colt is the 325 grain Lyman. I feel very secure at woods ranges with this as it never fails to drop deer quickly.

[Warhawk]

I'm not a fan of kinetic energy as an indicator of killing power. Let's look at some numbers for the .357. Buffalo Bore sells a load consisting of a 180 grain flat nose, gas checked bullet with a bc of .21 and muzzle velocity of 1851 fps from a Marlin with 18.5" barrel. Here it is: https://www.buffalobore.com/index.ph...t_detail&p=100

I ran the numbers with an online ballistic calculator. The numbers agree with BB's published numbers. I just wanted more information with smaller steps. So here it is: http://www.shooterscalculator.com/ba...php?t=52584be6

With a starting velocity of 1851 fps, it is still doing 1388 fps at 150 yards. I also noticed that with a 150 yard zero, the point of impact is within 3.15" from the muzzle to 175 yards, with 5 yard steps. At that range it is still doing 1324 fps. A 180 grain bullet at 1300+ fps will definitely kill a deer just fine.

I used that load as an example because the actual specs are published, but there are several 170+ grain cast bullets that can provide similar results.

I’m with you on kinetic energy, all things being equal, a bigger diameter bullet kills better than the smaller bullet. Kinetic energy formulas completely ignore bullet diameter. Looking at strictly kinetic energy at the muzzle, a .243 has more kinetic energy than a 45-70. Which one would you choose to shoot a Buffalo?

[freakonaleash]

Get with in 50 yards and it doesn't make any difference. All the deer I have killed were with a flintlock, except for on which I used a 1860 Army C&B revolver.

[warren5421]

A lot depends on where you hunt. I lived around Lake George, NY where deer hunting you could run into a black bear. I got a real good S&W in .357 given to me by a guy who was hunting deer when a bear came at him. He emptied the gun hitting the bear 6 times not stopping it. His hunting buddy dropped it with a .30-30. The bear would have died but the guy shooting would have also or been hurt bad before it happened. The .357 didn't hit any bone so the bear had full motion. The guy was shooting Pb RNFP reloads that never damaged any organs bad enough to stop the bear. All rounds stopped inside the bear. Helping skin and cut the meat looking at the bullet tracks I would not use .357 mag to hunt with. My $0.02 worth. By the way I'm 75 and ran first trap line at 8 years old carrying a Rimington Rand .45 ACP as dad didn't have a .22 at that time, .45 ACP or 16 ga double only.

[Prairie Cowboy]

There is a significant difference between shooting an angry large black bear and a whitetail deer.
There is also a significant difference between the velocity of a .357 magnum bullet from a 6" revolver and from an 18 1/2" or 20" carbine.

With a revolver you can expect maybe 1350 FPS with 158 grain/H110 Loads.
The same load from a carbine will deliver 1840 FPS.
About 500 FPS more than with a revolver.
Since that is approaching the standard 150 grain .30-30 load at 2150 FPS, I think that the .357 magnum carbine is certainly adequate for whitetail deer with the right bullet.

But I would not advise using a .357 magnum revolver to hunt bear with either.

[Savvy Jack]

https://gundigest.com/handguns/hunti...-45-cartridges


Enough said!

[rickt300]

I like both rounds but my truck gun has been a Rossi levergun in 45 LC for a while now. Runniing a 255 gr. bullet at 1300 fps it seems to do everything well but I won't use it past 100 yrds.

[wc870]

Good read Savvy jack, I agree as well. The 45 colt gets my nod.

[ogre]

Use the one that matches your revolver caliber.

[beltfed]

38-55 or 45-70
beltfed/arnie

[KWK]

I recall a comment John Linebaugh made on his web site years ago: "My wife has taken around 6 antelope and 5 mule deer with her .45 Colt. She uses a 4 3/4" Seville and the handload is a 260 Keith cast at 900 fps. This load will shoot lengthwise of antelope and mule deer at 100 yards."

While I've read many reports the 357 rifle works fine (and would offer a better trajectory), Linebaugh's observations plus a desire for lower muzzle blast would have me giving the nod to the Colt.

[missionary5155]

The 50 Alaskan

[megasupermagnum]

I recall a comment John Linebaugh made on his web site years ago: "My wife has taken around 6 antelope and 5 mule deer with her .45 Colt. She uses a 4 3/4" Seville and the handload is a 260 Keith cast at 900 fps. This load will shoot lengthwise of antelope and mule deer at 100 yards."

While I've read many reports the 357 rifle works fine (and would offer a better trajectory), Linebaugh's observations plus a desire for lower muzzle blast would have me giving the nod to the Colt.

Don't knock it till you try it. The 357 magnum has very little muzzle blast in a rifle length barrel.

[KWK]

My son has a 357 carbine with an 18.5 inch barrel which we find surprisingly loud. I'd like to try a 357 in a much longer barrel, but I'm certain a Colt launching at Linebaugh's 900 fps from 24" would easily best it in this one regard.

[BIGOX]

45lc for sure but it depends on where one would be hunting

[T.R.]

I downed this cow elk with my .357 MAG at a distance of about 50 feet. Two quick shots into the chest did the job.

TR