Who is right!

[Freightman]

I mentioned hunting deer over a feeder with my new acquired 357 BH 6.5" barrel one said out to 75 yds or so that is fine. The other said 357 wasn't enough gun but for gophers and woodchucks or rabbits then only to 50 or so yards. So I ask can I use my 357 BH hot loaded for deer to 75 yds?

[bearcove]

I shot my first deer with my 357 bh. Sierra 150gr hp max load 296. 75 yards, 2 shots, both lungs, either would have done the job. Didn't run 50 feet. Deer was from Mo. dressed about 140 lbs.

[pdawg_shooter]

Depends, can you put the bullet in the right place? A 22RF will kill a deer if you place the bullet correctly.

[home in oz]

I should think it would be in the ball park.

[Whitworth]

It'll work fine as long as you do your job.

[wonderwolf]

Put the pill where it needs to go and you won't have a problem. Even a 375 H&H wont take down game if you just shoot it in the leg.

[littlejack]

A well placed .38, is better than a misplaced 44.
I read that years ago in a gun magazine.

[jameslovesjammie]

I've shot 4 whitetail does with a .357. Sierra load guide max load with their 158 grain Soft Point. It did the job. Don't expect "bang-flop", but it will work.

[Houndog]

I sure didn't have any problem putting more than one bambi in the freezer with a Model 19 with a 4" barrel! If YOU do your part, there's NO PROBLEM!!!!

[Freightman]

Well I know that shot placement is the real key, the one guy has a bad case of MAGGINATIUS if it were legal to hunt with a Vulcan gun he would, rabbits to boot.

[Frosty Boolit]

I missed a deer twice with a .357 and it still did'nt die:kidding:. Anyway, I have'nt worked up the nerve to try it again but I do have much more handgun practice under my belt now. Limited time in the woods for me means a 12 ga. slug gun which is easier to hit with for me.

[Blammer]

170gr Gold Dot FP HP would work great for deer. (I've used them before in my 357 mag)

Good shot placement and you'll take home venison.

[waksupi]

I really dislike the idea of hollow points in a .357 for deer. More penetration is better.

[bob208]

358429 10 gr. 2400 in a .38 case. put them down good for me.

[Blammer]

well the speer gold dot 170gr is a flat point, but it's in the 'gold dot HP' line up.

I would recommend the 360180gr FP boolit. I've killed a deer with it and it works well.

[nicholst55]

A fella named Dan Wesson killed a polar bear with the 'new' S&W .357 Magnum revolver back in the '30s; the only factory load available back then was a 158 grain RNL boolit loaded WAY too hot. I'd think your load should kill the average deer out to 75 yards - assuming proper bullet placement.

And no, I don't recommend shooting ANY bear with a .357, unless that's all you have and it wants to chew on you. Just sayin'.

Another fella named Askins killed a bunch of wild horses back in the same time period with a .357, and was quite impressed with it's performance. In fact, he said that about the only handgun that worked better was a heavy loaded .44 Special...

[gon2shoot]

A 357 throwing a 162gr boolit (roughly 1300fps) has been a proven deer killer. I proved it, my wife proved it, my daughter proved it. :wink:

[82nd airborne]

My dad killed a large buck at 127yds (rangefinder) with an m92 in .357 with a peep. It was hit through both lungs and made it about 30yrds.

[HeavyMetal]

Would I take a 357 to go deer hunting?

No because I have bigger guns.

If I only had a 357 would I go deer hunting?

Yes because I would limit myself to my practical accuracy level. In this case hunting over a feeder lends itself to using a rest which can extend your working range with the smaller caliber.

This is also another reason I faver boolits in the 150 grain range over heavier boolits because the trajectory is flatter.

A 150 SWC at 1400 would make short work of a deer at 60 to 75 yards and that would also be the longest I would try to stretch a 357 unless circumstances, such as starving, forced me to take a longer shot.

[MakeMineA10mm]

I've shot two deer with 357 Magnum, both while on duty with duty ammo. The first was with a Federal 158gr Hydra-Shok, which completely penetrated the deer after expanding and went down a considerable distance into the dirt beyond the deer. The deer (which had 2 broken front legs) tried to get up and run off after the shot... (The only shot I had, due to backstop issues was a heart/lung [classic hunting] shot.) She suffered for about 30 seconds and if not hit by a car, in that time would have made a couple hundred yard sprint. I wasn't impressed.

I switched to Winchester 145gr Silvertips, which had a reputation for faster expansion than the Hydra Shoks. The deer I shot with those was able to be shot in the head, as they should be when destroying them, so it's not really a fair comparison to the Hydra-Shok load used earlier... Still, this medium-weight, JHP penetrated all the way through the head with bone hit on the way in and out. Overall, I wouldn't feel worried about penetration, as long as you stuck to 140gr or greater weight bullets.


170gr Gold Dot FP HP would work great for deer. (I've used them before in my 357 mag)

Good shot placement and you'll take home venison.
I really like that recommendation from Blammer. Gold Dots have a reputation for easy, large, consistent expansion which still holds together well, and this weight will certainly give you penetration.


Would I take a 357 to go deer hunting?

No because I have bigger guns.

If I only had a 357 would I go deer hunting?

Yes because I would limit myself to my practical accuracy level. In this case hunting over a feeder lends itself to using a rest which can extend your working range with the smaller caliber.


Now, here we get down to the best advice yet. I may have shot a couple deer with the 357, but I don't like it and I don't recommend it. Under very specific restrictions (like hunting over bait, as here in the original question), it's acceptable, but it's never ideal. Stepping up to a 41, 44, or 45 is far superior, IMO.

[Whitworth]

Put the pill where it needs to go and you won't have a problem. Even a 375 H&H wont take down game if you just shoot it in the leg.


Unless it's a really small animal......:mrgreen:

[Bret4207]

I've probably killed 50 deer with a 357 and factory 158JSP Remington ammo out of a 4" Smiff 681. Ranges were from 2 feet to close to 100 yards. It'll work as long as you can hit the spot.

[Lloyd Smale]

my thoughts exactly. Never have been a fan of the 357. to me its about a noisy 38 special. Just never saw the purpose of one. But that been said if a deer presented itself and someone handed me a 357 and told me to kill it im about sure it would get the job done.
Would I take a 357 to go deer hunting?

No because I have bigger guns.

If I only had a 357 would I go deer hunting?

Yes because I would limit myself to my practical accuracy level. In this case hunting over a feeder lends itself to using a rest which can extend your working range with the smaller caliber.

This is also another reason I faver boolits in the 150 grain range over heavier boolits because the trajectory is flatter.

A 150 SWC at 1400 would make short work of a deer at 60 to 75 yards and that would also be the longest I would try to stretch a 357 unless circumstances, such as starving, forced me to take a longer shot.

[44man]

Shot placement is the key but the problem with the .357 is ONLY bullet choice. Nothing at all wrong with the gun but there are too many bullets that just don't work for hunting.

[Hickory]

Would I take a 357 to go deer hunting?

No because I have bigger guns.

If I only had a 357 would I go deer hunting?

Yes because I would limit myself to my practical accuracy level. In this case hunting over a feeder lends itself to using a rest which can extend your working range with the smaller caliber.

This is also another reason I faver boolits in the 150 grain range over heavier boolits because the trajectory is flatter.

A 150 SWC at 1400 would make short work of a deer at 60 to 75 yards and that would also be the longest I would try to stretch a 357 unless circumstances, such as starving, forced me to take a longer shot.

You think the same way I do.
Use a bigger gun if you have it.

[firefly1957]

Practice often and enjoy your gun IF YOU LOSE YOUR DEER then you should reconsider whether it is you or the gum that needs to change .

Good shooting.

[Whitworth]

Practice often and enjoy your gun IF YOU LOSE YOUR DEER then you should reconsider whether it is you or the gum that needs to change .

Good shooting.

Yup. I've seen plenty of deer lost to so-called "adequate" calibers.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Deer have been popped with a lot less and people were well fed.
The 38-40 rifle was considered a good deer cartride (still is) with the old BP loads. About equal to a 357 mag load.
I would prefer a 180 FN GC 50-50 mix boolit at 1000 + fps in my 10" barrel Dan Wesson. But that is just me and a load I know will wack them corn crunchers.
But I would also use a bigger bore because I have them.
In the end it will all depend on the shooter.

[MtGun44]

As long as you don't use one of the light HP bullets, and stay where you can put the
bullet/boolit where you want, no problem.

Is the .357 the best choice for deer? Not if you have a .41 or .44 available. Is it a
workable choice? Yes, of course!

I'd recommend the 358429 with the cup point that Eric is putting on them at Hollowpoint
Services or just plain over 16.3 H110. VERY accurate in a Ruger Security Six and 586, both
6" bbls so the load is really moving out.

The biggest issue is personal - buy some 6" dessert size paper plates. Don't shoot farther
than you can keep 100% of your shots from field positions on that plate and you will never
lose a deer. For me with open sights on a real deer (darned camo hair on those things!) it
is about 75 yds with open sights, a bit more with a scoped gun just due to being able to see
the target more clearly. There are certainly conditions where you could see and shoot farther,
but IME deer don't stand out there in the sunshine very much.

Bill

[TDC]

We can debate bullets and calibers for handguns all day long but in the end success really depends on the shooter.

I've been hunting big game with a handgun for over 35 years. It tends to be much more difficult than rifle hunting requiring skills more like archery. Without going into detail most of us know what that means.

Ya gotta practice if you're going to hunt with a handgun, guys, and I mean practice a lot. We all owe it to the game we hunt to recognize our limitations and not be involved in a hunting technique that could leave wounded animals.

Shooting a handgun from a bench without the adrenalin rush or stress of a hunting situation is a whole different ball game than what most new handgun hunters are familiar with. Too often we read about the successes of new handgun hunters. I suspect many more wounded and lost game numbers go grossly unreported...

Hunting with a handgun can be exciting and challenging, but again, give the animals a break. If you don't want to do the practice required, preferably utilizing a stress generating practice similar to a timed police combat course, stick to rifle hunting... This goes double for thicker skinned, tougher game like elk, moose, and bear...

JMHO....

[Char-Gar]

Sure you can! If you can put the bullet in the right place.

[Jjed]

A few years back I droped two deer with a 357 contender the first was 20 yds droped in its tracks, the 2nd was 125 yds it also droped in its tracks. i was using 158 gr hp.