357 vs. 45 colt

[Illhunter]

i am wondering which would be better for deer any help would be appreciated thanks in advance.


Terry

[mcwoodduck]

Depends on the gun and the load.
If your going to stay with Factory ammo.
.357 Mag. has more hunting loads and is more powerful. and would be my choice. 
.45 Colt.  There are some +P loadings but some revolvers can not handle it.  Most 45 colt ammo is geared to cowboy action.  If I were to run the +P loads out of my .45 colt it would come apart and it's a modern firearm.  The colts and the clones are not strong enough to handle the pressure generated by a load designed for hunting.
If your going to reload and are getting a Ruger.  Then the 45 Colt can be loaded to .44mag specs and would be a better choice.

[Raging480]

Hard to answer that without more information.  What is your experience with shooting, and with those particular calibers?  What is your experience with deer hunting, and what kind of deer hunting are you doing?  cornfields, thick woods, etc?

My personal experience is that when you are hunting with a revolver, it is similar to archery hunting; you want 2 holes for bloodletting.  Obviously .45 is bigger than .357 when it comes to hole diameter.

I shot a spikebuck in the shoulder with a .357 Remington Corelokt round, 165 grain jhp (1200 fps).  Bullet broke shoulder, but DID NOT penetrate the chest cavity, deer was tracked and killed with shotgun rounds.

I shot two small deer this year with a 255 grain swc, probably about 850 fps.  Kicks a lot less than a .357, and penetrates without question.  Not a flat shooter, so ya gotta get close.

If you are going to hunt with a .45colt, handloading is almost a necessity.

[Old Griz]

Like mcwoodduck  said, it really depends on the gun and the load. Factory loaded .45 Colt loads have to be able to be fired in old Colts and clones. Not exactly the best choice for hunting. Rugers, Colt Anacondas, T/C, etc. are built to handle the +P loads that are suitable for hunting, so it does depend on the gun. The .357 is a better choice than the standard .45 Colt loads.

If you want a bigger hole than the .357, you might consider the .41 or .44 mag. The .44 offers many more choices in bullet selection than any of the others.

[Illhunter]

i am a fairly experienced shooter but more the 357 because have never shot a 45 colt. been deer hunting for about 5 yrs both bow and firearms. woods and fields. would prefer the 41 but not alot of choices for factory ammo thought about a 44 mag ruger but need to go look some more i was looking at a uberti 1873 cattleman. I also looked at a dan wesson in 357 mag i have more experience with 45 acp though. 

[.357 shooter]

What was the price on the Dan Wesson? This is a great gun in .357 very strong and accurate. If you choose the .357 run a factory 158 soft point through her and she will kill any deer with a well placed shot out to 60 yards. As far as the Uberti I don't believe it is strong enough to handle stout or plus P ammo.


Bryan

[COR]

I believe you answered your own question.  You said you never handled a .45.  I'd go with what I know since a hit with a .357 is always better than a miss with a .45.  That .357 will kill deer cleanly and has since it's beginning.  You have to be disciplined and take careful shots that in IMHO would be less than 50yds.  That being said, I don't hunt deer with anything less than a .41.  I'd really consider getting into reloading if I were going the route of the .45, it is an outstanding round when you reload it.   

[Glanceblamm]

Then Again, There is eleven months to go!
It is a great time to start working with a new/used gun in a diff caliber. Course if you have a late season permit I would go with the .357

[Illhunter]

dan wesson was $390 but has been there awhile may get better price for it. I would be using factory ammo and may look into something like a 41 or 44 for hunting will be using a muzzleloader for late season but pistol would be nice to have to.

Terry

[Old Griz]

would prefer the 41 but not alot of choices for factory ammo. 

I know every gun is different, however, the two best factory loads in my .41 (4" S&W 57) were the two Winchester offerings. The 240-gr. Platinum Tip HP shot such a small one hole group that I quit looking after that. I just keep it loaded with that for whitetail. Haven't had a chance to field test it yet, but I sure was impressed with what it did on paper. The other load was almost as good (175-gr Silver Tip I think), but not quite.

[Mikey]

Teryy - I don't have any problems going for whitetail with a 357 but I use my own hand loads and they have never failed me.  They are heavy for the bore semi wad-cutters and they penetrate through and through.  I limit my shots to about 50-60 yds with open sights.

mcwoodduck is right about the Colt clones not being strong enough for heavy 45 Colt loadings but other handguns such as the Ruger single actions will handle them just fine.

I would ask that you consider reloading, if you do not already and max the effectiveness of your 357.  A 45 ACP can be hand loaded to about the same level of effectiveness as the 45 Colt in one of the 1873 clones - not the best or heaviest loading for the field although effective within shorter ranges, but not up to the longer range capability of the 357 when loaded for hunting.

Now this is just my 2 centz worth and I would ask those who respond or disagree to go gently on me this Christmas day.  Please remember the spirit of giving this Christmas and don't give me too much grief fer 'spressin' my 'pinion.  Mikey. 

[Old Griz]

Merry Christmas Mikey! (And everyone else as well!)

What is there to disagree with?!

[Illhunter]

Merry christmas all and thanks i think i am going to work on this for next yr will either go for a 357 as i have access to some reloading equipment or i wil look for something in 44.

[Dan Chamberlain]

I'm an "Illhunter" as well.  I have .44s and .45s and use them along with my .45-70 Contender.  It depends on what I'm doing that day.  But the .45 Colt has the advantage, even in its factory clothing!  Taffin wrote that one of his favorite carry loads would shoot right through an elk and the velocity was between 800 and 900 fps.  Keep in mind, Illinois has a "power" factor in their handgun rules.  Most big bores will make it easily with factory loadings.  The .357 is a fine round, but to be viable with the bruisers in Illinois, it needs heavy bullets.  One should not attempt a wall-hanger buck with 125 grain duty loads!

Dan