Author Topic: .357 adequate for deer? (Read 3587 times)

W · « **Reply #30 on:** August 13, 2003, 07:27:15 AM »

I've taken 3 N.Y. whitetails with my Ruger Blackhawk .357 mag.
I use factor 158gr. JHP's.
The first was a 4 pointer that was +/- 35yds away and facing slightly towards me. I was standing againts a large tree and raised the gun up with a two hand hold, aimed for the chest area and fired. The buck ran about 30 yds and fell dead. In the excitment I never looked for the entrance or exit wound. I just wanted to field dress the deer and get out before dark.
The second whitetail was a mature doe that was running broad side at about 60 yds. I was again standing at the base of a large tree and raise the gun and aimed for the chest/shoulder area. At the shot the doe fell but was still alive. The shot had broken the backbone just above the heart/lung area. A finishing shot was required.
The third whitetail was another 4 pointer that ran up to me while chasing a doe. They got within 10 yds of me when the doe spotted me and stopped. the buck also stopped and when he turned and started running I aimed for the heart/lund area and fired. He ran about 50 yds and was dead. That 158 gr. JHP was resting on the underside of the hide on the far side of the deer.
I have also taken 3 whitetails with my Ruger Superblackhawk .44 mag with similar results. I perfer the .357 over the .44 for N.Y. whitetails.

1GLOCK · « **Reply #31 on:** August 13, 2003, 08:11:29 AM »

I have a 6" security six but have never hunted deer with it simply because with only open sights i couldnt hold an unsupported 2 hand grip within 6 inches at 50 yds. Could have scoped it but didnt want to mark the finnish on the gun. Due to my poor accuracy I couldnt bring myself to hunt with it, it would have just been (in my oppinion) wrong to do so. Now had I been able to hold a 3 or 4 inch group i would have used it. I feel that even with the right load shoulder penetration is iffy at best and if it hits the bone youre really in trouble. I just got a 44mag SBH Hunter and plan to scope it and use it this season. I am much more comfortable with the big bore because it leaves a little margine for error. As far as the 454s,480s and 500s, hey whatever floats your boat. After all the animal cant be too dead but is can be not dead enough! If you can hold a good group consistantly with the 357 then by all means use it but stay within 75yds or so and be prepared to pass on some quartering shots. Just my oppinion, i could be wrong!

Dragon31 · « **Reply #32 on:** August 13, 2003, 05:10:11 PM »

I've been hunting for over half a century, for those of you who don't know that was before the .44 mag and all those other new comers Mags were on the market. I either pulled the trigger on or withnessed the .357 mag kill a number of animals (Deer, Black Bear, Hogs, ground hogs, coons and a ton of cans). In the early days we used open sights, so ranges where short (20 to 40 yards). We shot what ever we could buy at the sporting goods store. My Dad and My Uncles all had the same kind of gun, Smith and Wesson, 8+ inch blue .357 mag. I learned to shoot Dad's with .38's. I can't remember ever tracking a deer very far and remember being pulled out of the way by my Dad as my Uncle shot a bear out of a tree. Bear was dead when he hit the ground but, you know how Dad's are.
Fast forward to today. That old Smith and Wesson of my Dad's nows sits in my gun safe, retired. However, I still put the 10 inch barrel on my Contender and deer hunt with it. I hand load four different bullets for the Contender. I use heavy doses of H110, 296 or WC 820 to push a hard cast #357429's, Hornady SSP 180's, Remington 180 JHP's, and Sierra 170's JFP. I have not Chronographed them but, in the Contender I sure I'm getting at least 1400 fps from these loads. I have used shoulder shot with the #357429 and broken the on side shoulder, destroying the lungs and coming to rest just under the skin on the off side (I've done this several time at varying distances up to 75 yards and some times have not found the bullet). I've done the same thing with the Hornady 180's and the Sierra 170's but not as many times. I have only used the Remington 180 JHP on lung shots and until I try it I can not recomment it on the shoulder shots. It's hell on lung shots though. I use a Leupold 2X scope barrel now and I hunt from a number of ladder stands with good shooting rails when I use the .357 out to 75 yards (it will do more I just limit myself because of eyes and age). Speaking for the old girl she has done a good job for me over many years. She's cheap to shoot, does her job and is always ready when I want to go hunting.
Now to answer your question. Yes the .357 mag will kill any whitetailed deer in North American as long as you do your part and put the bullet in the right place. Are there better calibers for hunting deer/hogs/bear? My answer is yes (at least just as good). I use some of them. .357 MAX, .44 mag, 30 30, 7-30 Waters and the .45 long colt. These calibers do not kill the deer any "deader" they do allow the hand gun hunter to make longer shots with a greater margin or error at the expense of more recoil, a louder bang and more expense.

TScottO · « **Reply #33 on:** August 13, 2003, 06:20:35 PM »

I believe if a person isn't a good enough marksman/hunter to kill deer with a 357 he/she shouldn't hunt with bigger bore handguns. It's nice to have a larger bandwidth for error but for most people moving up to larger bore guns the chances of error are much greater. Most everyone that I've seen shoot, the bigger the recoil the bigger the groups.

Does the person shoot well enough that the extra power found in big bore handguns out weighs the inherent margin of error due to larger groups?

In short, if you're not proficient with a 357 you are not going to be proficient with a larger bore handgun.

Scott

1GLOCK · « **Reply #34 on:** August 14, 2003, 07:22:25 AM »

I have shot other 357s, 44s, 41s and 454s all with good results and tite groups. Just not MY 357, why? Dont know. Just dosent group worth a sh*t at distance cosistantly. My point is a 357 may or may not penetrate the front sholder of a large deer at 75 yards, a 44mag will more consistantly. In swamps and thick cover its real nice to take them in the sholder and anchor them in place. We all pull shots no matter how good we think we are and i pesonaly like to know that if I pull a little too far forward on a trophy of a lifetime im still ok.

DelGue · « **Reply #35 on:** September 08, 2003, 10:50:56 AM »

Black Jaque

Good Question Black J.

I've killed a Mule Deer with a .38 Special and a 158gr LSWHP. She was shot at 25 yards and dead in two leaps. Chest hit, high heart. No exit.

If the .38 Special can do it, the .357 mag certainly can. I've also been thinking about this, (and to use on black bear if I had to), I'm looking very hard at the Winchester Partition Gold Handgun ammo in the 180 gr JHP. It sounds like it might do it all. But I haven't heard much about this bullet.

Good Post Alice!

Delgue

Alice Cooper · « **Reply #36 on:** September 12, 2003, 08:35:03 PM »

I just call em like I see em...as a range officer, i've had years to observe handgun users.some can really shoot. some i have no doubt could cleanly take whitetails up to 50 yards with a 38 special.but some that come out with the 480 rugers and such would be better off tying a stout cord thru the trugger guard and swinging it around their heads.!within reason, it's the man behind the gun, taking game cleanly within HIS limitations.i can keep all my shots inside a paper plate at 100 yards from the bench, but won't shoot at game past 50 in real life situations,as the bench is too much trouble dragging thru tennessee brush.so what if i pass on 75 yard shots?if i was just there for the meat, i'd be trapping them, anyway.or using a 30-30.oops, i forgot, it's too weak for them nowtoo!