Suggestion for a .357 Mag deer round.

I plan on taking my Security Six out this year, which XTP do you like better, the 180 or the 158 for Whitetail?
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I really depends, if you reload and barrel lengnth.

If that Security Six has a 6in barrel and you load them fairly hot I would go with the 180grn.

The 158grn is still a good choice, the XTP will hold together pretty good.

Whichever that Ruger shoots best is what it prolly would come down to for me.
 
357 Terms-- Thanks, I have the 158's loaded and sighted in, but I might pick up a box 180's to see how they shoot. I have a 4" and 6", but I was planning to use my 6".
 
Clueless.
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Not really. The .357 can be a potent round.
However, for hunting, I'll betcha not one in 10,000 handgun owners are good enuf shots to place perfectly on a deer. Especially if it is moving or over 15 yards away.
A .22lr will kill a deer but certainly is not reccomended.
I stand by my original comments.
 
Seems many are not reading the OPs question.

My state requires an "expanding bullet" with 500 ft/lb at 100 yards. I don't reload.
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He doesn't reload and factory rounds just wont reach the 500 ft lb at 100 yard criteria.

The answer is there isn't one.

Whether the 357 will kill deer isn't the question, can it be done legally.

As I said, in Wyoming we have the same law and its presumed the 357 doesn't meet that standard and even if you reload, you're going to be hard pressed to convince the game warden yours does,

Never saw a game warden carry around a chronograph in his car or the means to pull and weight bullets.
 
The ballistic coefficient of a Speer 158 gr JHP is .158, while that for a 165 gr .308 cal rifle bullet is close to .5! This really puts the brakes on the handgun bullet. In order to have 500 ft lbs of retained energy at 100 yds, the bullet will need 840 ft lbs muzzle energy, which requires about 1550 FPS. This is pushing .41 mag territory, and might be a clue!

rat
 
The best load for a .357 on deer is to switch it out for a 30-06.
The .357 is simply not a deer round.
As an alternative, tie the deer to a post and shoot from a range of five yards.
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Used a Dan Wesson model 15 .357 mag revolver for 26 years using SJHP or LSWC 158 gr bullets and only had to shoot one deer twice. It was a 135 yard shot I never should have taken. The rest were one shot kills from about 110 yards to 30 yards, most between 60 and 100 yards. I don't use it for hunting today because my eyes and iron sights on a 4" barrel make it hard for me to shoot in bad light and most November days in my neck of the woods are not clear sunny days. What you are saying is that because you are a lousy handgun shot nobody should use a handgun. The OP has a 500 ft/lb limit making .357 unusable but 41 mag and 44 mag both meet the criteria if he will move up a caliber. If he does he is good to go no matter what you think.

Tied to a post at 5 yards huh? Do you have somebody hold it for you?
 
Not really. The .357 can be a potent round.
However, for hunting, I'll betcha not one in 10,000 handgun owners are good enuf shots to place perfectly on a deer. Especially if it is moving or over 15 yards away.
A .22lr will kill a deer but certainly is not reccomended.
I stand by my original comments.
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Thanks for inflating my ego. I have personally shot three WT deer dead at ranges from 25 to about 50 yards. For two of them, I was using regular federal JSP 158 gr bullets from walmart. For one, I had some handloads.

I don't actually hunt deer with a pistol every year, and in my experience, judging the range and making the same shot with a shotgun slug is a little trickier than with the pistol. And more expensive. And less pleasant. In my state, you can't use a rifle, other than a muzzle-loader.

in fact, only once was the deer I shot still alive by the time I got to it.

I will agree that moving shots can suck. It's not unique to a pistol. They suck with anything. And if you can shoot deer through a tree with your gun, I admit I'll try it. Otherwise, I'll try a little thing we call hunting, and attempt to catch it unawares or in the open.
 
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