357 versus deer
- Thread starter Newton24b
- Start date
BiggDaddyBrown
Inactive
.357 Mag Is Awesome
pity the sad plight of the .357 Magnum. Once king of the hill, and now barely mousefarts...or so some would have you believe.
I take no pity on my Ruger SP 101, Pity the person that cause's me to draw it ! 
As far to say that the .357 is dead and gone, Win 94E 357 I have is still hitting the mark @ 200yrds with a 125grn Sierra, Now if that ain't shoot*N than what is.
pity the sad plight of the .357 Magnum. Once king of the hill, and now barely mousefarts...or so some would have you believe.
I take no pity on my Ruger SP 101, Pity the person that cause's me to draw it ! As far to say that the .357 is dead and gone, Win 94E 357 I have is still hitting the mark @ 200yrds with a 125grn Sierra, Now if that ain't shoot*N than what is. Two Old Dogs
New member
I'm not form Missouri, but I'd have to see your 45 LC load blow through an
8" pine tree. Evidently Alabama pine trees are not as stout as the ones we grow here in SC.
8" pine tree. Evidently Alabama pine trees are not as stout as the ones we grow here in SC.
Sigh, when I was knee high to a little burp the .357 magnum was considered a wrist busting proposition for the average man and an experts gun. By the time I was old enough to get one the 44 mag had that title but was becoming more popular. I used my little .357 for years taking shots at 115 yards without hesitation because it was a good shot ans passing on shots at 40 yards because it was an iffy shot. No reflection on the gun but on me.
SJSP and LSWC both in 158 gr because that is what shoots to point of aim beyond 50 yards for me. I used to be able to hold all my shots shooting offhand on a NRA 50 yard pistol target at 100 yards, now I have to sit and rest the gun and stare at the sights for a little bit before I squeeze that trigger but I still keep them on the target. How much giddyup go at that range it still has I don't know but enough to kill deer and that's all I cared about.
Near 70 now and I still shoot an average of 60 rounds a month out of that gun, sometimes 38's sometimes magnums. 125 gr for the close targets and 158 gr bullets to be used for targets a little further out there. I'm no Kieth or Cooper and certainly no national champion but good enough I can put meat in the freezer without feeling like I'm doing something wrong by being under gunned.
I think most complaints come from people who are great at 7 yards and good from the bench at 25 yards but fail when they have to shoot from their hind legs at a 40 yard deer in the woods because they didn't practice that kind of shot. Trigger time boys and girls, trigger time at targets beyond a 12 step walk. Nothing wrong with the .357 it's the man using the .357 that is the weak link.
SJSP and LSWC both in 158 gr because that is what shoots to point of aim beyond 50 yards for me. I used to be able to hold all my shots shooting offhand on a NRA 50 yard pistol target at 100 yards, now I have to sit and rest the gun and stare at the sights for a little bit before I squeeze that trigger but I still keep them on the target. How much giddyup go at that range it still has I don't know but enough to kill deer and that's all I cared about.
Near 70 now and I still shoot an average of 60 rounds a month out of that gun, sometimes 38's sometimes magnums. 125 gr for the close targets and 158 gr bullets to be used for targets a little further out there. I'm no Kieth or Cooper and certainly no national champion but good enough I can put meat in the freezer without feeling like I'm doing something wrong by being under gunned.
I think most complaints come from people who are great at 7 yards and good from the bench at 25 yards but fail when they have to shoot from their hind legs at a 40 yard deer in the woods because they didn't practice that kind of shot. Trigger time boys and girls, trigger time at targets beyond a 12 step walk. Nothing wrong with the .357 it's the man using the .357 that is the weak link.
buck460XVR
New member
As I said in my previous post, the majority of .357 JHPs are intended for SD/HD purposes and designed to expand greatly at lower velocities than bullets intended for hunting deer sized game. Shooting this type of HP ammo intended for handgun velocities outta a rifle with it's increased velocity will only make them expand faster and dump their energy sooner. In 158 gr and jacketed bullets I suggest either the JSPs or Hornady's XTP-FP(flat points). BTW, the A.E. JSPs are a good factory load for deer.
357 and whitetail deer - sample of one
I have taken a 4 pt buck with a .357 (180 grain Federal) at 25 yards with a 4 5/8" Ruger Blackhawk. It was a solid chest shot and I did not have to track. 10 yards or so and down. Having done it, i recognize my luck (and my own limitation shooting from a stand). Looking back, I would definately try it again with the same load (since it worked), but I choose not take a shot past the 25 yard range. My view...my 2 cents. Best of luck to you. DB
I have taken a 4 pt buck with a .357 (180 grain Federal) at 25 yards with a 4 5/8" Ruger Blackhawk. It was a solid chest shot and I did not have to track. 10 yards or so and down. Having done it, i recognize my luck (and my own limitation shooting from a stand). Looking back, I would definately try it again with the same load (since it worked), but I choose not take a shot past the 25 yard range. My view...my 2 cents. Best of luck to you. DB
The handi rifle you showed was very hard to find in Maine a couple of years ago. The folks at KTP couldn't keep them in stock. I was told that fathers were buying them for their kids, along witha 100 pack of 38 spl. The kids shot the 38 specials all summer, (couple of hundred packs,) and then they switched to 158 or 180 grain 357 magnum deer loads before the season. Soon enough the dads found the rifle to be very "handy" and they were buying red dots and scopes and everything else. That was the rifle to have and they still fly off the shelves to this day. I think with the rifle velocities you would be better off with a JSP or a real quality JHP made for hunting.
I must have missed the memo. I have dropped a 3x3 mullie with a 158 gr. SP and a 6x5 mulie with a Sierra 170 JHC out of my GP100 6". In the nasty conditions I was hunting in I was unable to bring my rifle to bear. In both cases I shot into the boiler room. In both cases I didn't have to go far to get my animal. These were the only two I shot at with my revolver.
Too many people don't spend time shooting free hand. Too many don't practice for the long shots; by that I mean 100 yards or more. Learn to shoot the label on a 2 liter bottle at 100 yards with consistency. If you can do that you can drop a deer with the proper ammo.
Too many people don't spend time shooting free hand. Too many don't practice for the long shots; by that I mean 100 yards or more. Learn to shoot the label on a 2 liter bottle at 100 yards with consistency. If you can do that you can drop a deer with the proper ammo.
BiggDaddyBrown
Inactive
>357
Why yes I think that both of them round's are an excellent choice.
Deaf Smith
New member
Get your 5-6 inch .357 and use Buffalo Bore .357
https://www.buffalobore.com/
3. 5 inch S&W model 27
a. Item 19A/20-180gr. Hard Cast =1398 fps
b. Item 19B/20-170gr. JHC = 1380 fps
c. Item 19C/20-158gr. Jacketed Hollow Point = 1457 fps
d. Item 19D/20-125gr. Jacketed Hollow Point = 1543 fps
Do plenty for deer if you hit right.
Deaf
https://www.buffalobore.com/
3. 5 inch S&W model 27
a. Item 19A/20-180gr. Hard Cast =1398 fps
b. Item 19B/20-170gr. JHC = 1380 fps
c. Item 19C/20-158gr. Jacketed Hollow Point = 1457 fps
d. Item 19D/20-125gr. Jacketed Hollow Point = 1543 fps
Do plenty for deer if you hit right.
Deaf
Jack O'Conner
New member
If a 357 MAG hunter restricts his shots to typical archery distances, he can kill just about anything that walks.
Jack
Jack
Win73, either of those loads should be fine from your little NEF.
A) Putting down injured animals and B) shooting frisky, healthy ones in their own element is two different things; I have used handguns to do plenty of both.
I can honestly say that the one deer I shot under B was an utter failure rooted in my own inexperience at the time. I shot way too far (hit both times) and used the much-touted 110 grain ammo of the mid 70's. I've since seen several deer shot with hot SWC loads and I wasn't impressed; but again none of those were perfect shots.
If I was deer hunting with a 357 today, I would load it with 180 XTP's, running ass fast as prudence allowed, and I wouldn't take any raking shots. I'd aim for the heart or the spine at the shoulder and I wouldn't shoot past 50 yards, period.
A) Putting down injured animals and B) shooting frisky, healthy ones in their own element is two different things; I have used handguns to do plenty of both.
I can honestly say that the one deer I shot under B was an utter failure rooted in my own inexperience at the time. I shot way too far (hit both times) and used the much-touted 110 grain ammo of the mid 70's. I've since seen several deer shot with hot SWC loads and I wasn't impressed; but again none of those were perfect shots.
If I was deer hunting with a 357 today, I would load it with 180 XTP's, running ass fast as prudence allowed, and I wouldn't take any raking shots. I'd aim for the heart or the spine at the shoulder and I wouldn't shoot past 50 yards, period.
It will do it, megatwin. I used to load 325 grain hardcast LBT's over however much H110 that Hodgdon #26 said you could get away with in a (5 1/2") Ruger Blackhawk. Shot them through an 8" utility pole and they exited with enough velocity to bury halfway into a native oak 2x8 leaned against it.
A good friend of mine that's a deputy sherrif swears by his ankle carry ruger sp101 .357 magnum for dispatching wounded deer, I asked him about the fancy kimber .45 auto on his hip, he said not even close! As a handloader and owning many of both calibers I already knew the .357 magnum was the hands down winner, he said he had shot a couple different deer over the years with his .45 auto and had to put more than one in them, (I'm sure they weren't the best placed shots) after a couple bad experiences he started using the .357 mag exclusively. My brother watched a cop shoot a charging rottweiler several times in the frontal area with a .45 auto and the dog turned and went squalling heading back home and on to its porch! Everybody in the barber shop in town witnessed this event. I also know that officer well, I asked him what the hell happened? The weapon used was his .45 auto service pistol, he told me with it charging him he couldn't get a good solid head shot so he pumped as many rounds in the front of the dog as he had to to stop the situation! The dog had to be put down when the owner returned home from work