Ever Shot A Deer W/ .357 Mag?

J

jhgreasemonkey

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Hey Does Anyone Here Have Any Experience Using A .357 Mag On Deer? I Live In Washington State And I Just Found Out They Changed The Regs A While Back To Allow Handguns With A Minumum Of 6mm And
A Four Inch Barrel To Hunt Big Game. So I Am Pretty Excited To Use A .357 Mag On Deer. It Would Only Be At Close Range And I Would Shoot In The Lungs Or Head. I Would Love To Hear Any Stories On What Kind Of Results This Gun Has On A Deer. Thanks.
 
i hunt with a 6 inch gp100. it works well with hotter ammo like buffaloe bore. try to hit em behind the shoulder as a some shoulder shots dont leave exit wounds which makes tracking difficult. oh, and be sure to use 158 or 180 grain bullets and keep your shots short. good luck.
 
Killed a Black bear with one once. If memory serves it was around 250 dressed. My partner ask why I shot it five times. I had to honestly answer I did not have any more in the pistol.

Have a good time, use your best judgement as to range and shot placement. IMO you are about as light as anyone should ever go with a firearm for deer.
 
HEY THANKS FOR THE INFO FROM BOTH REPLIES. :eek: THAT WAS ONE PISSED OFF BEAR HUH? I HAVE ALWAYS LIKED SHOOTING THE.357 MAG BUT AFTER HEARING THAT I THINK I'LL START LOOKING FOR A LARGER CALIBER REVOLVER. I JUST DONT WANT TO SPEND AN ARM AND A LEG. ANY SUGGESTIONS?
THANKS
 
I have killed 2 deer with a 357magnum, 1 with a 41 Magnum and 1 with a 45ACP. If you use the 357Mag, I would suggest a head shot unless it's some kinda Monster Buck.

The only deer that did not run off after being shot was the one I shot with the 45ACP, that deer fell over like it was hit with a truck. I was impressed.:eek:
 
Look for a TC Contender. Lots of very adequate whitetail calibers there. 7-30Waters, 30-30, 35 Rem to name a few. You should be able to find a used one under 400 bucks. They are holding value very well.
 
Look for a TC Contender. Lots of very adequate whitetail calibers there. 7-30Waters, 30-30, 35 Rem to name a few. You should be able to find a used one under 400 bucks. They are holding value very well.
 
My first deer with a pistol 10 years ago was with a Colt Trooper .357 magnum. He walked straight in on me and I hit him square in the chest with the first shot. He slammed it in reverse and took about 4 or 5 steps backwards before dropping over dead. After field dressing the 6 point I found that the one shot took his heart out. The factory 158 grain hollow point did the job just fine. You just need to remember that shot placement is going to be critical with the lighter bullets. A .44 magnum can penetrate a shoulder and still kill the deer. I'm not sure if a .357 magum will. Others may be able to tell you if it will or not.

I’ve been hunting with a pistol ever since. I currently hunt with a T/C Contender in .357 Max., .44 Magnum and .444 Marlin.
 
Sweet. I Am Surprised That The .45acp Took Out The Deer That Quickly. How Far Away Was It? And Crap I Already Sold My .45! I Plan On Carrying My Rifle For Long Shots But Want A Decent Side Arm For Close Range. So A Thompson Center Is Unfortunately Out Of The Question For Me. I Have Never Shot A Deer With A Handgun Of Any Caliber Only High Powered Rifles So I Am Excited To See How It Does. I Think I Will Start Looking For A .44 Mag. Thanks Everyone For The Usefull Info.:d
 
Shot one opening day of the last gun season a doe at about 15yrds. behind the shoulder perfect!!! She ran about 60 yrds NO BLOOD TRAIL!!!!!! not a drop. If you hunt use a swc or a solid the exit hole is the hole that bleeds!!!! I was using a Winchester Supreme 180gr. I shoot a Taurus 6" 357 with a red dot.Hand gunning is fun!!!!!
 
step up to more power

A .357 is ok but there are many better choices if you are looking for a new deer pistol.
Ruger, Smith, and Tarus all make great .44 mag revolvers that are much better deer rounds. For under 100 yard shots they are perfect, get a good low power scope and you will be all set.
Thompson center contenders and encores are fantastic, you can pick a rifle caliber and have a very well made, accurate " short " rifle. look at the 7mm-30 waters, .30-30 and .45-70 in the contender or the .243, .260 or 7mm-08 in the encore. You can also get them in handgun calibers.
The bigger hangun rounds: .454, 460 and 500 mags are amazing but a handful to shoot on a regular basis. If you like the feel of shooting them then they are great for deer.
 
Yep - put several down that were crippled on the roadside. One to the head did it each time...

Not hunting experience though - .357 mag is not legal for big game in a handgun in Wyoming unless loaded outlandishly heavy. I like my guns too much to do that to them and other "legal" guns are readily available...
 
Get a .44, that way when you wound the poor critter six ways to sunday and can't find the blood trail, you can use the remaining shells in the Marlin Camp carbine you will buy for the next season.
 
Highly Discourage It

First pistola hunt with one in Okla. about 1973, just under 50 yards broadside, scoped Blackhawk. Took off like a scared rabbit, no blood trail. Never did find that sucker. Next hunt following week, new Super Blackhawk in 44Mag. Quartering shot about 40 yards, dropped on the spot. After many years on deer and hogs, graduated to .454. I consider it the ultimate hog gun and it hits deer like a Freightliner at 60 mph. I'm over 50 now, so I like 'em to drop dead on the spot, to heck with the chasing stuff. Strongly suggest biggest caliber you can shoot accurately if you want to use a pistol.
 
"Get a .44, that way when you wound the poor critter six ways to sunday and can't find the blood trail, you can use the remaining shells in the Marlin Camp carbine you will buy for the next season."

Ummm, someone correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think the "Camp Carbine" was ever made in a .44 mag. 9mm and .45acp yes, but never a .44 mag.

Marlin does make a lever gun or two in .44 mag, but that is not the same as the camp carbine.

Ruger makes both a lever gun (!) and an auto in .44mag with 4 round rotary mags.

And if anyone EVER makes an extended mag for the .44 mag ruger auto I will go out and buy it in a heartbeat.
 
Years ago when I was in living in Ohio, I shot a deer with a Ruger GP in 357. Unfortunately the shot hit the deer smack in the shoulder instead of behind it and the deer started to run off. I had to put it down with remington in 308 as it was stumbling to run away.

I would never shoot a medium game without a scope. That few inches of difference is between a clean shot or a long, painful death for the deer.
 
RNOVI, Here ya go...

1894 Model SS 37.5" OAL 18.5" BBl, in .44 Mag. Seems like a camp carbine to me!
 

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