Deer vs. GP100

W

woodyjr

Inactive
I live in an area that is pretty brushy, and when this next deer season comes around I thought about getting a pistol permit. Opening weekend you can get alot of chances of 30 yard shots or less. Shooting skills aside, would my Ruger GP100 4 inch barrel do me justice in the brush? And what kind of ammo would you suggest for this 357 mag?

curious-
Woody
 
If you hold up your end of the deal,your GP-100 will put meat on the ground. Just be sure to stick to your stated limits.

There are four differ schools of thought on using the .357 Magnum for deer sized game.

One group says the .357 is less useful than the .22 LR for deer hunting. I do not think these folks have any idea of the power of the .357 Magnum.

The Second Group says,"Most deer are about the size of an average man so use the load that has the best track record for stopping men. Use a 125 gr. JHP at high velocity."

The Third Group says that only heavy for the caliber bullets should be used, and nothing lighter than a 158 gr. bullet should be considered.

The Fourth Group says, "Use the bullet and load that your pistol shoots best."

My M-686 shoots 125 gr. bullets better than any other bulet weight.

You might even try the Cor-Bon 200 gr. LFN Hunting load if your pistol likes heavy weight bullets.

Good Hunting,
Doc Hudson
 
Bullet size is greatly going to effect whether you will be successful or not. Three fifty-seven is one of those cartridges that's greatly effected by barrel length and the four inch barrel will produce velocities to just get the job done. You need a bullet that will fully penetrate through the deer and make a big enough wound channel, because the deer is going to run and you will need a good blood trail in order to track it. The heavier the better, 160 grains and up and preferably of a LBT design. Providing that you do your part, the cartridge is a great deer slayer.
 
Own two 4" GP's.

Highly recommend my 180g JHP / 1160fps load for deer. Works like lightning bolt.
Excellent out to 100 yds.

(Shot placement shot placement shot placement...)
 
Cool on taking the GP100 hunting, mine loves walks in the woods. But check your local regs. Here in Maryland we must have a minimum barrel length of 6".
 
Use a 158 gr or better jacketed soft point (not a hollow point) or a HARD cast lead bullet. You want all the penetration you can get with a handgun. You probably can't break both shoulders but if you do hit into the shoulder you want the bullet to be able to pass through into the vitals, use a heavy bullet. I think sierra makes a 180 gr. 357 load that is within sammi spec. 4 Inches is a pretty short tube for a 30 yard shot id suggest a lot of practice on hitting the kill zone on a deer sized target. Good luck and good hunting.
 
Check your state hunting regs!

Here in Ohio, and many other states as well, handgun hunting is only allowed with a minimum 6" barrel length. Many states also have a minimum caliber limit as well. In Ohio it is a .357Mag.

I use my Dan Wesson .357 with either the 6" Vent Heavy shroud or the 8" Vent rib shroud. (Dan Wessons have interchangable barrels) I prefer the 8" for hunting because of the longer sight radius, as well as the better velocity numbers.

For ammo selection, I'd stay away from light hollowpoints. They will have limited penetration and will not shatter bone like a more solidly constructed bullet. I have been using 158gr solid semi-wadcutters loaded on the warm side of 1500fps with great results. I may try some 180gr LBT-style bullets next year. From the reloading tables I should be able to get around 1300fps with the 180s in my 8" barrel without exceeding SAAMI pressure limits. I'm five for five with one-shot kills with the 158gr loading, so who knows what I'll decide...

A man has got to know his limitations! My kills were all within 60 yards using open sights.

Your results may vary...blah, blah, blah.
 
Nothing wrong with a .357 if you know it's limits. A buddy of mine uses a 6" 686 and his brother a 6" GP100. They both filled their tags this year with shots under 70yds. They use 180gr XTP handloads and dot sights. Both deer dropped like a box of rocks, admittedly a combination of both luck and skill. These guys started deer hunting only two years ago, but they've been shooting for a long time and are expert shots offhand with handguns. Personally, I prefer a .375 Winchester Contender or a .44 Mag revolver, not for the power but for the longer range they afford. -- Kernel
 
I own two KGP-141s; they are great all around revolvers. If you stick to your <30 yard constraint, you should have no problems.

I suggest you consider Federal's 180 grain Cast Core round; it provides very solid construction for penetration and offers (from a four inch barrel) 1250 FPS muzzle velocity and 625 pounds muzzle energy.

This round in combination with your GP-100 will do its part, if you do yours.
 
I hunt with .357 magnum exclusively when it comes to handguns. I use Remmington 180gr SJHP. They are good out to 100 yds., but with my limited accuracy with iron sights, I shoot only out to 50 yds. In a "deer vs. GP100" scenario, I would not want to be the deer!!!!
 
If you are going to hunt, you owe it to the animal to be humane as possible. In other words, use a cartridge that will make a quick kill (don't make the animal suffer). A .357 magnum might work great on Florida Key deer (which are very small), but it might not be as good against larger deer. IMO, a good general rule is to use .41 magnum and up for deer sized game.
 
Canine,
I hunt Indiana whitetail (big deer) and .357 magnum is more than enough gun.
Have you ever seen what a 180gr SJHP does to a deer.
Not pretty, but does the job and then some.
Happy Hunting............
 
Check local laws.. in WI, handguns used for deer must have a 5.5 inch barrel. As I recently posted in the Hunt forum, from the WI 2000 Regs:



"Deer and bear may be hunted with handguns which are loaded with .357, .41 and .44 magnum caliber cartidges. Other caliber handguns chambered for commerically-manufactured cartridges which produce a minimum muzzle energy of 1000 foot-pounds are also legal. These handguns must have a minimum barrel length of 5.5 inches, measured from the firing pin with the action closed"
 
When you add the cylinder length to the 4" barrel there shouldn't be any problem making the 5.5" minimum as described above.
 
I've used a 5" M27 on deer, with the Sierra 150 JHC bullet in a stout handload. Worked fine. As someone else said, shot placement is of extreme importance. Remember, it has less power than even a .30/30 rifle - the hunting methods used with a common handgun more closely resemble those of an archer, rather than a rifleman.
 
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