.44 Special vs .357 Magnum rifle

A

Andy1

New member
This would be for PA whitetail inside 100 yards. Both are from single shot rifles with 22" barrels. I would be using Buffalo Bore .44 Special 200gr Barnes or Buffalo Bore .357 magnum 140gr Barnes.

I know the .357 is adequate, but I don't have it yet. I own the .44 rifle, but I don't know if Special loads are sufficient.

This would be for my 12 year old.
 
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I expect .44 Special would work fine as far as bringing down a deer. I wonder what the trajectory would be like. Since you already own the .44, test that load in it and see how much drop you get out at 100 yards. If it's not enough to worry about, I think you'd be fine to go with the .44.
 
Given your criteria:
1. Less than 100 yards
2. Low velocity cartridges
3. Using copper bullets

44 mag all the way.

I'll take the added diameter of the 44, since neither one is going to kill with any sort of "shock" effect, fragmentation, or anything of that nature. You're going to get one hole to drain your deer with.

With lower speeds, bigger holes come into their own.

Give me the 44.
 
Either one will work. FWIW, I’ve shot and killed over fifty deer with the .357mag using a revolver...and never lost one. Farthest shot was over a hundred yards three times. If I’d had a 44 special I’d probably have shot some with it also. I don’t think one has a distinct advantage on deer.
 
Well I’m using a Ruger Deerfield .44mag right now in SC. I handload my Ammo so it’s a little on the warm side of a 240gr XTP. As long as you place and accurate and ethical shot, the deer won’t care if it’s a spl or mag. I would personally steer towards the mag due to that’s what my rifles and pistols like.
 
question

Is your .44 chambered in .44 mag, but you intend to shoot "specials" in it to reduce recoil for the youngster? I'm thinking it is likely one of the H&R or Taurus single shots.....yeah?

If so, the .44 will be a better killer later down the road with .44 mag ammo as the boy gets bigger, .....you may even hunt it some yourself! The .357 mag is adequate, but as a medium game hunting cartridge, the .44 is above it in killing power, and I would consider it a bit more versatile.

Devils advocate, the .357 would be cheaper to shoot over the long run, you can even run .38's in it, to include really mild WC ammo.
 
bamaranger said:
Is your .44 chambered in .44 mag, but you intend to shoot "specials" in it to reduce recoil for the youngster? I'm thinking it is likely one of the H&R or Taurus single shots.....yeah?

If so, the .44 will be a better killer later down the road with .44 mag ammo as the boy gets bigger, .....you may even hunt it some yourself! The .357 mag is adequate, but as a medium game hunting cartridge, the .44 is above it in killing power, and I would consider it a bit more versatile.

Devils advocate, the .357 would be cheaper to shoot over the long run, you can even run .38's in it, to include really mild WC ammo.
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Yea. I have a Handi Rifle .44 magnum that I was thinking about using Specials on for my older son because he can't quite handle full magnums yet. But I don't know if the Specials have enough power to cleanly take down deer.
I'm getting a Henry .357 single shot, but I haven't got it yet. It'll be a training/practice gun for him and his younger brother during the off season and their deer gun in-season.
 
With the right ammo I would be comfy with 44 special. I would probably try and keep shots to less than 75 yards. 357 mag doesn’t give you much extra on deer, imo, given the smaller diameter and lighter projectile.

FWIW, tons of deer have been harvested with .40 and .45 patched round balls out of long rifles out to 100 yards.
 
Either of 'em will be fine under 100 yards.
I'd think twice about a solid for an inexperienced shooter though. Either would be much better with a jacketed bullet. AND the kid needs to sight it in himself and practice, off hand at 100 yards on a 9" pie plate until he can hit it every time.
A Handi Rifle in .44 Magnum weighs 7 pounds. A 240 grain bullet at 1760 fps out of a 7.5 pound rifle has 3.4 ft-lbs of recoil. There's little or no data for the Special out of a rifle, but a 240 at at 750 FPS out of a 3 pound hand gun has 4.5 ft-lbs. of recoil.
Buffalo Bore .44 Special 200 grain ammo runs about 1100ish FPS.
 
44 w/ specials if he dont like the mags. Next year w/ more practice he will be ready for
mags and you/Mom can do mags in the meantime.
 
The 357 is substantially more powerful in terms of energy and velocity, but the 44 special is plenty within 100 yards. Get him set up 50 yards off your shooting zone and you’ll be golden. The mags out of a rifle have fairly soft recoil though, about the same recoil the 243 handi rifle compact that weighed a little over 5 lbs with a scope (velocity and energy wise) I started with at age 10. Why not just have him shoot those and get comfortable with them? At 12 he should be able to handle them just fine.


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