Ruger GP100.. .357 Mag For Deer?

[Mike Bare]

I am considering trying my hand at hunting for deer with a handgun and have almost decided that the GP100 is the one I would like to have. I think that the .357 would be adequate for deer in most of the areas that I hunt since the average distance I have shot a deer in those areas are less than 50 yards...... While in a gun store today, I was talking with the owner and told him that I was interested in a .357 for deer hunting. He told me that the maximum effective range for hunting deer with a .357 was around 20 yds..that I should get at least a .44 mag....I think that he's just blowing smoke.....what's the word on the .357?? I do plan on a lot of practice and have bowhunted in the past, so I know how to hold my shots to the range that I can place a good group! I would never take a shot where I was not comfortable that when I pull the trigger, there is going to be a dead deer ahead of me............Mike

[Badnews Bob]

I bought a GP 100 new in 1994 and I don't have any  clue as to how many hundreds of rounds I,ve shoot out of it, When I do my part it will bust clay pigeons at !00 yards no problem , I've never had any work done to it niether. Its by far my favorite pistol, As for bustin deer, I dropped an eight point buck that went about 170lbs @ 62 yards, shot him broadside a little high but got both lungs, That 180gr cast boolet went right thru and kept on going, He ran about 60 or 70 yards layed down and now he's chillin in my freezer.

  As a lot of guys will say, think of a .357 as a loud bow (A very loud bow) and you'll be fine.

  BTW I also like my Marlin .357 carbine, It extends the range some and uses the same loads, Plus there both fun to plink with with .38s.

[safetysheriff]

if using a .357 mag' only for hunting i'd buy it in a single-action Ruger which will withstand some very heavy loads.   they will give you better velocities for flatter trajectories and more killing power with jacketed bullets.    Paco Kelly has written extensively about that.    if also using it for self-defense and home defense i'd buy a double-action revolver.

the GP-100 strikes me as one of the finest firearms out there when comparing dollar-for-dollar what they will do and how well most of them are made.    BUT.....for deer hunting at distances potentially beyond 60 yds' i'd go with a .41 mag' or larger.    the .41 mag' will give you good velocities with a 170 to maybe 200 gr' JHP' bullet.  and it will kill deer very readily.    the .357 will do its best work on deer with JHP'S of 180 gr's or more i'd expect.   yes, i've seen 158 gr' JHP's and JFP's do well on deer at 40 yds' and less.    but the heavier bullet closes the deal better, and carries its velocity/penetration further even if it doesn't shoot as flat.   remember, penetration on a shot made "at a bad angle" can be very demanding of a bullet if it is either jacketed or if it used on a large animal.    at such times i still like the extra velocity of a stronger cartridge and the heavier bullet weights of a larger caliber when needed.   that's why i'd go larger than .357 mag' caliber. 

the .41 mag' recoil with a 170 to 200 gr' JHP' should be very manageable, i'd expect, since fast loads of 180 gr to 210 JHP's in my .44 mag' are so manageable.    even my relatively-light 5 1/2" barrel'd Super BlackHawk handles them well. 

take care,

ss'   

[blhof]

I have killed both deer and hogs effectively with the 357 mag at distances to 75yds.  The Dan Wesson is also a strong 357 and with the optional 10" barrel you get the flatter trajectory for the longer ranges.  I now use a 357max, the best of both worlds; enough power for kill shots too 100 yds with 200 gr. and plinking with either 38 or 357 mag.  It's a heavy gun, but it makes the 38 recoil very light and even heavy loaded 357 mags are comparable to some med wt 38s.  I f you reload; the 38/357 brass is the cheapest around.  I got 1100+ rounds at a range by asking as they don't bother to bag and sell it because of low return price. 

[JKump]

This year I hunted with a 4" Taurus Tracker 357 mag..  I took a doe at about 20 yards with no problems.  Just hunt with it as if you would bow hunt.  Know your limits and do not push them, the 357 mag should be fine.  As for the Ruger GP 100, it is an excellent handgun, wish I still had mine.

[RaySendero]

I am considering trying my hand at hunting for deer with a handgun and have almost decided that the GP100 is the one I would like to have. I think that the .357 would be adequate for deer in most of the areas that I hunt since the average distance I have shot a deer in those areas are less than 50 yards...... While in a gun store today, I was talking with the owner and told him that I was interested in a .357 for deer hunting. He told me that the maximum effective range for hunting deer with a .357 was around 20 yds..that I should get at least a .44 mag....I think that he's just blowing smoke.....what's the word on the .357?? I do plan on a lot of practice and have bowhunted in the past, so I know how to hold my shots to the range that I can place a good group! I would never take a shot where I was not comfortable that when I pull the trigger, there is going to be a dead deer ahead of me............Mike

Mike,
If I already had (or could borrow) a .357 mag, then I'd try it.  If I were to buy a new revolver for deer hunting, I'd buy something bigger! I've seen quite a few hogs when deer hunting.

[Lloyd Smale]

hate to be the pessimist here but if you have to ask it tells me your not that experienced with handguns and in my opionion while the .357 will definately kill a deer its more of a gun for an experienced MARKSMAN that can consistantly place a bullet with precision. I think youd be much better served by a .44 mag or a 41 mag shooting a midrange lead swc load. Or at least buy the .357 and shoot the crap out of it for at least a year until you can shoot 6 shot groups into at least 4 inches at 25 yards from any position including off hand EVERY TIME!!! It was compared to bow hunting and thats a real good comparison. How many people would go and buy a bow and shoot a few arrows through it and try hunting deer. YOu need to get proficient with it first. There not a rilfe and are not that easy to shoot. Under the pressure of hunting when your heart is pounding just a slight tremmor in your had will cause a bullet to completely miss a deer at 25 yards or worse yet wound one.

[Mikey]

Mike:  Lloyd is quite right about gaining the experience necessary to use the 357 on whitetail.  It isn't that the cartridge is not more than capable of taking whitetail, you just have to be able to place the bullet properly.

That being said I would not purchase a larger caliber and hope that it does the job for you if you fail to gain the necessary experience and skill to hunt with a handgun.  Handgun hunting is much like bow hunting but if you quiver you don't deliver and it doesn't make any difference what the cailber of the bullet is that goes hither (I hate this peotry stuff....) but it is true.

Also, your dealer can stuff it.  More hunters on this forum and others have taken whitetail with 357s, me included, at much better distances than your dealer lets on to.  I have taken whitetail at out to 60 yds with a shorter barrelled 357 and one of our other posters, Jerry Lester, makes a habit of filling his freezer with 357 taken whitetail, so ti can be done.  You just need to be skilled enough to maximize the effectiveness of the caliber you are using, whether it's a 357 or whatever. 

If you handload I would suggest the heavier bullets in the 180-200 gn range - the later is my favorite but others prefer factory 158s.  Whatever your preference turns out to be, Good Luck and let us know whatcha finally decide to get.  HTH.  Mikey.

[Redhawk1]

hate to be the pessimist here but if you have to ask it tells me your not that experienced with handguns and in my opionion while the .357 will definately kill a deer its more of a gun for an experienced MARKSMAN that can consistantly place a bullet with precision. I think youd be much better served by a .44 mag or a 41 mag shooting a midrange lead swc load. Or at least buy the .357 and shoot the crap out of it for at least a year until you can shoot 6 shot groups into at least 4 inches at 25 yards from any position including off hand EVERY TIME!!! It was compared to bow hunting and thats a real good comparison. How many people would go and buy a bow and shoot a few arrows through it and try hunting deer. YOu need to get proficient with it first. There not a rilfe and are not that easy to shoot. Under the pressure of hunting when your heart is pounding just a slight tremmor in your had will cause a bullet to completely miss a deer at 25 yards or worse yet wound one.

Thanks Lloyd Smale, I was thinking of the exact thing. I seen in the past 2 years new handgun hunter here in Delaware. Two years ago Delaware opened it's first handgun season.  You should of seen the mad rush for handguns. It was frightening. I am a big advocate of gun ownership. But what scared me was, all there guys buying a handgun for hunting and only having a week to get ready for hunting.
These guys would go too the indoor range and sight there new guns in at 25 yards. They had scopes, red-dots and some open sights. They would hit the paper at 25 yards and once in a while hit a bullseye. With a new box of ammo they shot 30 of the 50 and saved the other 20 for hunting.
I would ask them is that all they were going to practice and I was told that was all they needed. I then asked, how long have they been handgun hunting, 95% of them said it was there first time, but they shot pistols before and thought they were good shots.

As you could imagine, I got into a few debates with these guys.  I would tell them I thought they should have to pass a handgun course, before they were allowed to hunt with a handgun. That went over like a fart in church. Like you said these guys were marginal at best with there new handgun, but thought they were good enough to go hunting with one. They weren't

I remember the first time I decided to go handgun hunting, about 25 years ago. I bought a Ruger Blackhawk in 41 Mag. That was the minimal caliber I was told I should use, and still  today I still believe it is. Sure a 357 Mag will kill a deer or hog, but I believe it is not the best choice. But I bought my first handgun for hunting about a year before the season opened. I shot that handgun all the time. I took it out and I practiced all kinds of shoot positions and felid conditions. My buddies thought I was going overboard with this idea of handgun hunting, but I told them I wanted to have the best chance of killing a deer when the shot was there. I was shooting with open sights and at about 75 yards was my range that I was doing very well with the handgun.
That first time out in the field with my 41 Mag, I was pumped and ready to go, I was confident with my shooting and I knew my comfort zone (75 yards). Well turns out I did not see anything for the first 2 days of the season that were close enough to take a shot, the 3 rd day of the season I connected with a spike buck at right around 40 yards.  The spike ran about 20 yards and down it went. From that day on, I though of myself as a handgun hunter. Still today I practice and practice. I go to the range and put thousands of rounds through my hunting revolvers every year.

To sum it all up, I think and believe the 357 Mag is marginal as a deer and hog gun, yes it will work and has for many years, but there are better choices. I personally recommend the 41 Mag and up and a lot of practice.

[Lloyd Smale]

rehawk im with you all the way except for the caliber you chose. Personaly im a big fan of the 44 mag. Its the most versitle caliber out there. Factory ammo ranges from 180 grain specials to thumping 300+grain cast loads. Recoil with factory 240s is no more the factory 210s in a 41 at least not to me. Ammo is alot easier to come accross and is usually even cheaper then a .41. Reloading components are easier to find. There are probally more molds made for 44s then all the rest combined. It nudges the .41 in power and takes a very small back seat to the .45colt in power but no round comes close to it in versatiltiy. If I had to own just one handgun for the rest of my life it would be a ruger single action 44 mag with either a 4 5/8s or 5.5 inch barrel and wouldnt feel undergunned on any non dangerous game animal in the USA.

[Redhawk1]

Lloyd Smale, I agree with you, but like I said it would be the minimum I would recommend to use.
You know me, I would of said the 460 or 500 Mag, but I would of had the wrath of all the guy telling
me, that is not rounds someone new getting into handgun hunting should use.  They are the only rounds I choose to use now.
Nothing wrong with a 44 Mag, it is a great round, but I just like bigger. 

[Lloyd Smale]

so does the old lady pal but just like most beginning handgunners she cant handle it either

[handi243]

The 357mag is my fav. in handgun hunting you have to use bow hunting skill to make it work. A ruger is a great weapon well made. I have a Super blackhawk in 44 mag (still love my 357) buy one get some 38 ammo shoot shoot shoot. You are not going to wear it out. The worst case you have a great home defence weapon. My is a taurus 66 with a 6" barrel i do have a red dot scope on it but i can remove it for iron sights. Yes i hand load but also have taken deer with factory loads (158gr federal american eagle). I think Jerry Lester may be the expert on the 357 for whitetail!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jerry Lester]

A lot of good points here.

Myself, I'm perfectly content hunting deer with my 357 revolver. If the 357 magnum is used with a little self control, and a hunter is willing to wait on the right shot(passing everything else!) the 357 magnum will not only kill a deer, but it'll do it with the same results as the bigger calibers. My 357 routinely breaks shoulders, and tears through the vitals leaving massive damage which results in very quick kills. Rarely do they run out of sight before piling up, and I hunt the thickets where visibility is often less than 60 yards. Heck, a lot of times I can't see much past 30 yards.

I agree with Lloyd, and the others that with a less than perfect shot(texas heart shot, etc...), a bigger caliber might make a difference in the end results. With that said though, if you can shoot a 357 accurately under actual field/buck fever conditions, and use bow hunting rules, you'll kill deer just fine with a 357 revolver.

[Hooker]

My GP100 has never failed on deer and hogs. Mine seems to like the heavier loads 180s at near max.
I do practice a lot and it's my #1 choice in really rough terrain in the brush.( Keeps myhands free )
So far my longest shot, a deer 70 yards it made about 10 steps and droped.
I'd say it's as good as all the rest, with in it's and my limits.

Pat

[ken2222]

  I haven't read all the posts before mine...my experience with .357 and whitetails in the 165# range is.......I just traded my .357 that was a tack driver( I am a pretty good shot) for a .44 Mag.!! I shot two whitetails at 70 yrds 158gr  Magtech...I'm not satified with the results. 41 maybe...but go ahead and get a round that will do the job...save your $$$...step up to AT least .41 mag....357 is fast....but I didn't like the results!  Ken

[Ahab]

Never lost a deer with the .357 using 180gr lead handloads. Since you are prepared to practice I believe you will do just fine. By the way, I started handgun hunting with a .44Mag and switched to the .357 because the shots were all under 50 Yards and the bigger gun destroyed to much meat.

[TEXXAS]

A young man on the last  dear lease I was on is in a tie with his dad on one shot kills on whitetail with 36 each. He shoots a blue 6" GP100 with a woulf spring kit he got from me. His dad uses a 30-378 Weatherby Acumark with a 6x18 scope. They hunt in different ways but both get the job done. He uses factory Hollow Point ammo and likes Winchester Black Tallon and Remington Golden Saber the best. If you do your part a .357mag will do it's part. Oh yea, he likes double lung shots just behind the sholder.

TEXXAS

[pastorp]

Just a thought. It really dosen't matter what caliber you shoot, you must place your shot for a quick kill. Sometimes I believe a novis could misunderstand some of these posts and think a bigger gun will make up for bad shooting, It won't. 

You should shoot the gun you can place your shots with. And limit the distance to your ability to place your shots. Bigger is better only if the bullet goes into the boiler room. If you read Jerry's posts, he gets close and knows where to shoot them. I believe most shooters can hit better with a 357 than a 500. Use the 500 if you can really handle it but it is the gun IMO that is not for the novis. Regards, Byron

[Redhawk1]

Just a thought. It really dosen't matter what caliber you shoot, you must place your shot for a quick kill. Sometimes I believe a novis could misunderstand some of these posts and think a bigger gun will make up for bad shooting, It won't. 

You should shoot the gun you can place your shots with. And limit the distance to your ability to place your shots. Bigger is better only if the bullet goes into the boiler room. If you read Jerry's posts, he gets close and knows where to shoot them. I believe most shooters can hit better with a 357 than a 500. Use the 500 if you can really handle it but it is the gun IMO that is not for the novis. Regards, Byron

I agree with you, the 500 Mag is not for a new handgun hunter or anyone with little handgun experience. But I also think no matter what caliber anyone chooses to use, they need a lot of practice before taking that handgun into the woods for hunting.

[Jerry Lester]

Just a thought. It really dosen't matter what caliber you shoot, you must place your shot for a quick kill. Sometimes I believe a novis could misunderstand some of these posts and think a bigger gun will make up for bad shooting, It won't. 

You should shoot the gun you can place your shots with. And limit the distance to your ability to place your shots. Bigger is better only if the bullet goes into the boiler room. If you read Jerry's posts, he gets close and knows where to shoot them. I believe most shooters can hit better with a 357 than a 500. Use the 500 if you can really handle it but it is the gun IMO that is not for the novis. Regards, Byron

I agree with you, the 500 Mag is not for a new handgun hunter or anyone with little handgun experience. But I also think no matter what caliber anyone chooses to use, they need a lot of practice before taking that handgun into the woods for hunting.

You just summed it all up right there Redhawk1.

Not bragging here, only driving home your point. I'll openly admit that recently, I've slacked quite a bit on my practice sessions mainly due to time, and other circumstances. For several years I practiced to the point of regulularly running 500+ rounds a week through my 357 Blackhawk with target, plinking, and hunting combined. I "never" consider bench shooting as practice, so the majority of it has been offhand, with quite a bit of field type rests thrown in too. I also have found that you're a lot better off practicing at 100+ yards with a handgun for the most of your sessions. Even near misses on an oil can at 100+ yards means you still are doing well enough to bust a squirrel at normal(40 yards or less) revolver ranges. If you get to the point(and anybody can with enough practice) that you can connect on pop cans at even 75+ yards pretty regularly, you'll bust a golf ball at 25 yards with almost boring consistancy. At that point, quite frankly, a deer don't have a chance if he's within 50 yards. 

[Sverre A.]

And for those of us who hunt with rifles sometimes:  If you can hit the target with a handgun at 100 yds - a rifleshot will be peanuts for you 

[pastorp]

You guys are right about practice. When I was younger I shot at least 500-1000rds a week. I would even shoot a box or two after I ate my lunch. If you shoot 20,000 rds a year you can get good when that is combined with the eyesight and reflexes of a young body.

I am fortunate in that I live where I can just drive to the edge of the village and go shooting. I have been having some health problems that restrict me as well as failing eyesight so my serious handgun shooting with open sights is ending. You young guys enjoy that eyesight and take care of it. Your hearing also, so you don't say "hunh, what did you say" every other pharase. 

A 22 pistol is affordable and a novis should start there. After 100,000rds move up to a 357 and shoot it until the recoil dose not bother you. Then you can begin trying bigger guns until you reach your limit. You may just find that if you do all your hunting before you pull the trigger the 357 will be all you need. Regards, Byron

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Or at least buy the .357 and shoot the crap out of it for at least a year until you can shoot 6 shot groups into at least 4 inches at 25 yards from any position including off hand EVERY TIME!!!

Actually this is the best advice.  In fact I would say you should do this with ANY handgun.  Going with a .44 won't suddenly improve your marksmanship.  In fact often it makes it worse.

Frankly I'd rather see you following this part of Lloyd's advice than the part about getting a larger handgun.  If you can do all this with a .44 well then that's even better!  But a .357 oughta be fine.

[rkcohen]

Why not?

Look, there's always going to be discussion over the 357 as adequate for medium sized game - but the fact remains a lot of deer have been taken with it.  As far as not being adequate, I submit that most of the "one's that got away" are shot placement errors.

A few years back I went into a gun shop in Tampa and there was a blue, non-lugged model sitting there next to a few stainless w/lug guns in 4 and 6 inch.  The blue model was $175.  I asked the dealer why so cheap?  He said he could n't move it - it was blue, it didn't have the "lug" and he just wanted to sell it off.  Did I mention it was a 6 inch tube?

I looked it over, it locked up tight, used a range rod to check timing - spot on, flash gap was very tight - I bought it.  I put a Hogue on it and handed it off to the wife.  We practiced together a lot - her with the GP100 and me with my 44 Redhawk.

We went out to fill our tags..

I handload, so I sized the 170 Keith (Lyman mold) to the largest throat over a charge of 296 - and I can't to this day believe how hard it hit her spike!  At about 35 yards she put one behind the ribs as it quartered away from us - the slug went out the chest and the "baby buck" dropped on the spot - about 115 pounds - perfect for the freezer! 

And "holy cow" accurate - this gun is every bit as accurate as the Python I bought back in '77!

Practice and what we call "tactical patience" pays off more than just about anything else I think.

So, for deer, hey, why not?

[determined451]

go for it...as has been said...practice, hunt like bowhunting, and load a heavier bullet...of all the guns I own, my GP100 gets more woods time...D-451