Handgun Hunting

M

MattyT

Inactive
This might be a stupid question but I am just getting into hunting with a handgun.
I have a Glock 20 10mm and GP100 .357 that I am thinking about hunting with. I reload and am trying to decide on some hunting loads.
My question: is it better to have the bullet go all the way through (hard cast) or have the possibility of it expanding and staying in the body of a deer (XTP)?
 
A little of both is ideal. You want the bullet to expend all its energy by expanding but when it penetrates the outer side it gives you a much better blood trail. I've seen comments from some handgun hunters that they use the flat-point version of the XTP bullet as a way to maximize both. I've never tried it but it sounds interesting.
 
You will get a lot of different theories, but I have yet to lose a deer or elk who had an entrance AND exit wound through the lungs whether using a bow, a handgun or a rifle.
 
Expansion and pass through equals easy tracking. Or even better, it drops in it's tracks from the massive trauma. I have used the XTP bullets in .357 mag., 41 mag and 44 mag. All do a good job on deer.

Jim
 
Thanks for the great quick replies guys. My thoughts were that the XTP would be the best of both worlds. 180-200 grain for the 10mm and 158 grain for the .357. I've read the XTP penetrates pretty well, just didn't know if I should be concerned about the possibility of the bullet not exiting. However, I could also see how the heavy for caliber hard cast SWC bullets could do damage and get an exit hole for a good blood trail
 
To me it's a hard choice, the XTP is a fantastic bullet but it's also tough to beat a good hardcast. But for hollow point use I'd definitely choose the XTP.
 
Can't go wrong with either type of bullet but more importantly when it comes to hunting with a handgun is to know your limitations. Shot placement is much more critical.
 
Exactly what TMD said. I've been hunting with a .44mag Smith for a few years and only use the XTP 240's for deer and 300's for hogs. I havent killed a ton of game with the pistol mainly because I'll wait for the perfect shot. Its not easy to wait but I don't want to lose the animal because of a mistake on my part. I look at it like bow hunting, with a bit more range.
 
i hunt with a Blackhawk in 357 and I have had very good luck with a 180 grain hard cast. what I like with the hard cast is you aim for the shoulders and break the them down and you still get 2 holes.
 
I think it depends on the animal and the load. If you can get expansion AND deep penetration that is ideal. If it passes all the way through all the better.

But I'd never trade off penetration for expansion if there is a chance it may not penetrate enough. For deer most any mid weight expanding bullet is going to give enough penetration and expansion on deer. 158-180gr for 357 and 155-180's in 10mm should be fine I'd avoid the really light 110-125 gr 357 bullets or 135 gr 10mm bullets.

If I were carrying either of those for bear protection I'd go with heavy 200 gr hardcast bullets to get maximum penetration on larger tougher animals. Those bullets will zip right through deer. It'll kill em, but you may have a long tracking job.
 
I've been hunting with a handgun for over forty-five years and I've shot just over fifty whitetails with the .357 alone. My best loads to date are with the XTPs. My preferred bullet is the 158g JHP which does not always exit even on an average size whitetail. The 158g soft point will usually exit, but not always. Either way, I have yet to lose even one deer with the .357mag and I've shot several that were well beyond average in size. As mentioned above, shot placement is critical. The only deer I ever lost was with a .44mag and that was due to making a bad shot and not hitting the vitals. No caliber will kill a deer if it doesn't hit some part of a vital area.....heart, lungs, brain (bad choice, I've seen deer running around with their jaws shot off and holes in their nose), or spine. I hate to see people hunt with a handgun when they don't want to put the time in to become proficient. If you do put the time in and learn to shoot well, a .357mag with about any bullet will do the job.
 
can't speak to the 10mm but in the .357 I'm a big fan of the Sierra 158gr JHC. It expands just enough to disrupt on its way thru but stays together and goes deep. Now I use my own cast 158gr SWC but those sierras will do.
 
The 158 gr XTP's make a fine bullet for deer. One thing to keep in mind is no exit=no blood, nowadays I use a good cast bullet with a big meplat. You'd be surprised at how much damage it'll do, heavy and slow is the way to go with cast IMO.
 
No exit doesn't mean no blood. They still bleed just as much but can only come out one side. I've never lost a deer with the .357mag, and I've shot lots of them. Most died within fifty yards or less. Even the ones that went further left a lot of blood and most of them were not complete pass throughs. Believe me, I've shot more than enough to know. If hit in the vitals they simply don't go very far. If you can't hit them in the vitals you shouldn't be hunting with a handgun.....you're simply not qualified to do so.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies! I do bow hunt so I would be in the same mindset when using a handgun. My GP100 is a 4" barrel and my G20 has a 6" KKM. I think I am leaning towards the 180 gr 357 and 200 gr 10mm XTP bullets for a little expansion with good penetration.
Another question I have is if the 10mm from a 6" barrel and 357 from a 4" barrel are enough to humanely take a deer. I understand shot placement and I practice a good amount. However, if it would be a no brainer to step up to a 44 mag or equivalent, I could plan on doing so. I was just hoping to use what I have, if they can do the job no problem. I don't want to be shooting a "marginal" deer gun or caliber.
 
50+ X 50+ isn't marginal. If you say you bow hunt, don't you think a 357mag will kill them? I bow hunt also and have 70+ deer kills with the bow. I can assure you the 357 is up to the task as well as a well placed arrow. Both require correct shot placement in order to be lethal.
 
One more thing to keep in mind when hunting with a pistol or any gun for that matter. Only take the shots that fit within the distance you are confident of making a good shot at. A lot of people believe that they can shoot pistols at rifle distances, but most can't.

The .357 mag kills I have made have all been within 50 yards. I am not saying that it is not capable of taking deer at longer distances. I am saying that 50 yards is within my comfort zone with a 6" revolver with open sights. My 44 mag is a little different. It is a Thompson Center Contender with a scoped 12" barrel. I have taken deer out to 100 yards with it. Again make sure you know your limits when it comes to distance. You owe it to yourself and the animal.

Jim
 
I've hunted with the 357 and the 44 and I shoot the 357 better and have more confidence that I can hit where I need to with it. I'm comfortable out to 100yrds with my revolver but it's an 8" barrel with glass. I don't consider it to be marginal at all.
 
The only deer I've taken with a 357 was with a 4" barrel. Like what nosecondbest said, with proper shot placement they never went too far. I have no experience with the 180 gr pills as I always used the 158's. I've only killed 7 deer with the 357, of those I had two bullets fail to exit. One of them that didn't exit hit and broke the off shoulder, the other entered next to the shoulder and lodged under the hide towards the end of the rib cage. (Poor shot choice I was younger and a lot less patient) expansion on both were good. All of these were shot within 40 yards.
 
A glock 10mm and a 4" .357 are not my ideal choices for deer hunting handguns, but will serve well, within their limitations, and those of the shooter.

Generations of hunters have taken a LOT of deer with the 158gr .357. I don't believe you need a 180. From what I have read on the internet (must be true, right?) nothing less than the 180 seems to work. OF course, this is false, but it keeps being said.

My biggest objection to the Glock 10mm (besides being a glock-which is a personal style thing for me) is the fact that it is essentially a service class pistol, in a powerful caliber. Generally sights and triggers are not as good as the ones found on "hunting pistols".

If your 10mm has good sights (adjustable much preferred), and a decent enough trigger to let you shoot it well at range (forget what you can do at 7yds in 3seconds, etc.), then by all means, enjoy it and hunt with it. Many pistols of that type simply don't measure up to my standards for hunting.

Again, that could be just me...:D

It is interesting that complete penetration is so recommended for hunting and so strongly dis-recommend for self defense. Personally I believe in complete penetration being very useful, for both, but again, that seem to be just me, these days.

One thing for certain, if the bullet exits (or stop just under the skin of the far side, penetration was adequate!

More important than the caliber or the bullet is the shooter's ability to put the bullet in the RIGHT place.

A 6" gets you more speed (and everything that comes from it) than a 4", as well as a longer sight radius that permits more accurate shooting, (if you are capable of using it) but if you shoot the 4" well, and its all you have, you are not inadequate.

you don't need a .44 mag for deer, but if you get one, you can certainly use it to good effect. If you use a .44mag, don't expect to recover many bullets from the deer, though.

I would expect the full house 10mm to be about the same, and with a good bullet, the .357 often has complete penetration as well. With the wrong bullet, ...not so much.

Do not choose the 125gr .357 JHP loads for deer hunting, unless you are fully aware of its limitation, and you have the ability to shoot accordingly.
 
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