Mythbusted! .357 Magnum 125JHP on Deer

Maybe it's an optical illusion, but that looks like a very small deer. Don't get me wrong, that is the best eatin', but I think that thing is not topping 70 lbs dressed.

I do not doubt a 125gr XTP launched at over 2200f/sec passed all the way through that.

If the animal in question weighed 220 pounds live weight, the results might very well have been different ...... and there are darn few hunters that could pass up a shot at the buck of a lifetime because they did not bring enough gun.
 
I've taken does with 147gr gold dots from a 9mm... dropped her right there. gold dots, xtps, just about any bonded bullet is going to hold together well enough to do a great job as long as you pick your shots.

and also... why didn't you start your own thread instead of resurrecting a 2 year old thread.
 
I killed a mule deer buck with a 125 jhp. Neck shot did not pass through, drt. I'd not use it again though because I want it to break through bone and exit.

But it was a 6" Python
 
I don't care what you hunt with. I was looking at the ratchet set up on the pole. Is that like something you use to drag a boat on a trailer? I have been using a come-a-long for years, but sometimes depending where you are at, the come-a-long is not short enough. That ratchet looks like it would work great in a low ceiling garage.
 
The ratchet is great. You only lift 25% of the weight.

He was about 50 Yards out and moving. I got him right in the liver. It looked like a grenade went off inside. Entrance and exit holes were small. The only bone that could have been hit was a rib bone.
 
Threads like this are just great. When someone can show that they are having success with a particular load, we can all learn.

Most deer in my area are actually small, a 120 pound deer is a good sized deer. According to gunwriters, cannon shells will bounce off these deer, and yet, the OP is doing quite well with a 357 Magnum rifle.
 
Lots of deer have fallen to .22lr - is .22lr a good round for deer, too? You tell me.

One anecdote doesn't in any way disprove the truth that a 125s are less-than-ideal, in the opinion of most who know.
 
Lots of deer have fallen to .22lr - is .22lr a good round for deer, too? You tell me.

One anecdote doesn't in any way disprove the truth that a 125s are less-than-ideal, in the opinion of most who know
Click to expand...

First of all my deer haven't required any tracking. Shoot a deer with a .22 in the body and you'll be tracking.

Second, this isn't the first deer I've taken with this load so it's not a one anecdote like you say. I'm not sure how many deer I have to shoot with this to prove how devastating it is but if luck is on my side I'll keep bringing them home.
 
Come on folks. There is a huge difference between .22lr and .357 mag.


In my ER rotation during pharmacy school the only gun shot death I saw was with a .22lr. I saw a 3 year take a .40sw and only have a bad scar. Difference is where they were hit.
 
Congrats on both deer.

I too have a Ruger 77/357 and wouldn't have any qualms putting a 125 gr. into the head, neck (under 60 yds.) or behind the front shoulder (under 150 yds.). But typically, I prefer to keep it zeroed with 158 gr. JSP Remington Express. However, I'm thinking about switching to Buffalo Bore Heavy 357 Mag 140 gr. Barnes XPB if the rifle is accurate enough with them.

I've done more handgun hunting than rifle and therefore have no issue hunting with a 357 carbine.

Slightly off topic: Darned if I would wear white pants deer hunting (unless there was snow on the ground).
 
No Doubt

I have no doubt that the .357 is enough to take down deer. Personally, I took a doe last winter with my .40S&W at 10 yds. I was using Federal HST ammunition. The firearm used was a Springfield XDM with a 4" barrel. The bullet expanded after passing through the front shoulder. It penetrated both lungs and exited the far shoulder leaving a solid 1" hole. The doe didn't make it 5yds before falling flat on her face. (I left my archery release at the house and wasn't going to forfeit my last day of hunting because of it. It was also rifle season, so it was a legal kill.)

I have taken several Texas Hogs with my .22WMR and my .17HMR. I have no doubt, that (if it were legal) and smart shot placement were used, that they would both take down a deer too.

I have seen and followed the caliber debate ad-nauseam. I'm sure that this post will cause an uproar from other hunters.

Honestly, I get sick and tired of watching keyboard ninjas and their overzealous EGO talk smack about other hunters and their methods. The bottom line that I go by is this: 1) Firearm and ammunition is legal for hunting. 2) I am proficient with the weapons platform being used. 3) I have an ethical shot.

Sure there are better weapons systems and calibers out there, but some of us have to use what we have.

OK. Rant over. Pedestal turned over to the next hunter.
 
From SLAMFIRE:

...Most deer in my area are actually small, a 120 pound deer is a good sized deer. According to gunwriters, cannon shells will bounce off these deer, and yet, the OP is doing quite well with a 357 Magnum rifle.
Click to expand...

And those who say the 125 gr .357 JHP is not good for a 124 lb deer are perfectly willing to use it to defend themselves from a 200 lb man bent on killing them?

With deer, we can choose to wait for a shot into the vital zone in the chest.

In self-defense, we take the shot we can get.

Which is more challenging?
 
.357 mag wouldn't be my first choice for defense either but you can't carry a shotgun around with you all day.

All rounds have their place.
 
And those who say the 125 gr .357 JHP is not good for a 124 lb deer are perfectly willing to use it to defend themselves from a 200 lb man bent on killing them?
Click to expand...

Pound for pound, a human is one of the weakest animals on the planet.
 
The 357 mag is enough to take down a deer/hog. Anyone who says otherwise has never hunted with one. You can kill a deer with a 22 short rimfire if you hit them in the head. The 357 can generate more power than a 44-40 or 38-40, which is what they used in the 1800's to hunt large game with, aside from your larger buffalo calibers. It all boils down to one important thing. SHOT PLACEMENT. Deer are not Grizzly Bears, it doesn't take a cannon to bring them down.
 
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