Ruger GP100 .357 Mag For Deer Hunting

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rugerjunkie

Buckeye
Joined
Mar 15, 2005
Messages
1,969
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Kansas
Used a 6" GP-100 for years along with a 2x scope. I took 3 deer with it and no problems. I also used it a few times to play clean up from someone elses poor shooting. I always used jacketed soft points but if I were going to do it again Id use hard cast lead. Hit em where it counts and deer arent hard to put down. Anybody tells you different , they have never done it or dont know what they are talking about.

I had an old quarry on my farm back then and used to set clay birds up on the walls and kept working farther and farther back. Hits every time at 200 became routine although id probably not shoot at a deer that far out with the 357. Sure was a lot of fun plinking though!
 

rob-c

Single-Sixer
Joined
Aug 2, 2012
Messages
240
why not , I use a 357 n/m black hawk with a 180 grain hard cast over 13.5 grains of 2400 killed me a big old doe at 50 yards hit her in close side shoulder and it just obliterated it she ran 40 yards and piled up. the 357 is more than capable with the right bullet..
 

ChiefTJS

Blackhawk
Joined
Dec 21, 2011
Messages
854
Location
Nebraska
.357 is fine for close range deer. Someone will likely come along and post that anything smaller than .50BMG will result in wounded game though.
 

whichwatch

Blackhawk
Joined
Dec 18, 2012
Messages
678
Should not be a problem, with the right load. If you decide to use a hard cast place the bullet carefully. With no expansion if you don't put it where it needs to be put you may end up with a small entrance hole and a small exit hole and may not have much of a blood trail.
If hard cast is used you need to break down the shoulder(s).
 

dakota1911

Buckeye
Joined
Mar 26, 2009
Messages
1,021
I know guys that use Blackhawks so why not. Of course in some places deer are semi domesticated. Pat them on the head while they are eating the greens in your garden, feel how fat they are and pop them behind the ear with a .22. Oh yes, that is not legal. Yell at them to get them to run out a bit and then shoot them with a 357.
 

rob-c

Single-Sixer
Joined
Aug 2, 2012
Messages
240
robertkirksey said:
The first thing that comes to mind is...Why?
So what is your reason against it ? I don't see a problem as long as the person uses proper ammo
 

whichwatch

Blackhawk
Joined
Dec 18, 2012
Messages
678
rob-c said:
robertkirksey said:
The first thing that comes to mind is...Why?
So what is your reason against it ? I don't see a problem as long as the person uses proper ammo

Place the proper bullet in the right place and you will have venison for the freezer.
 
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Messages
539
Location
Twin Cities, MN
This reminds me of the parody article about the .825 G&S Mag:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/825_magnum.htm
However, by the end of World War II wild game was becoming too tough for the .357 Magnum. Elk and moose were becoming impervious even to perfectly placed .357" bullets. (Today, of course, we all know that even the smallest deer have become completely immune to .357 Magnum bullets.) Experiments to again redress the balance of killing power were underway in earnest by 1950 and in 1956 the result, the .44 Remington Magnum, was born.
 

OldePhart

Blackhawk
Joined
Dec 12, 2014
Messages
582
Location
Texas, USA
dakota1911 said:
...Of course in some places deer are semi domesticated. Pat them on the head while they are eating the greens in your garden, feel how fat they are and pop them behind the ear with a .22. Oh yes, that is not legal. Yell at them to get them to run out a bit and then shoot them with a 357.

This is one of the reasons I haven't been hunting in many years. Grew up in Colorado where you had to go find the deer and you didn't always fill your tag. Got stationed in Louisiana for a few years where they sit in a tree stand and have dogs to run the deer to them. That will get you arrested in Colorado. Went overseas for a while. Came back and ended up in Texas where you rent a deer lease, set up an automatic feeder to fatten 'em up and make sure they get used to walking right in front of your blind about the same time every day...basically ranching deer in my book. Nothing wrong with ranching...but it ain't hunting.

I may hunt again if I ever move to where it's really hunting and not just harvesting.
 

brushunter

Single-Sixer
Joined
Aug 26, 2012
Messages
302
Location
Western Pa.
OldePhart said:
dakota1911 said:
...Of course in some places deer are semi domesticated. Pat them on the head while they are eating the greens in your garden, feel how fat they are and pop them behind the ear with a .22. Oh yes, that is not legal. Yell at them to get them to run out a bit and then shoot them with a 357.

This is one of the reasons I haven't been hunting in many years. Grew up in Colorado where you had to go find the deer and you didn't always fill your tag. Got stationed in Louisiana for a few years where they sit in a tree stand and have dogs to run the deer to them. That will get you arrested in Colorado. Went overseas for a while. Came back and ended up in Texas where you rent a deer lease, set up an automatic feeder to fatten 'em up and make sure they get used to walking right in front of your blind about the same time every day...basically ranching deer in my book. Nothing wrong with ranching...but it ain't hunting.

I may hunt again if I ever move to where it's really hunting and not just harvesting.



Off topic .....but I agree completely.

back to the original post ...

Same old arguement ....yep, a .357 will kill deer. If your sure you won't start shooting at outragous distances and you can hit a pop can at 50 yards consistently , then maybe ..... personally I don't consider the .357 to be an effective hunting arm much past 40 yards. The .44 with good loads is far superior. Remember , OMO :D

regards, brushunter
regards , brushunter
 

GP100

Buckeye
Joined
Jul 20, 2010
Messages
1,136
I've taken lots of deer with my 6" GP100 and my 77/.357 rifle. never had an issue.

I've taken them up to 125 yards with the rifle. Although I do have it set up for 150 yards with the scope.
 
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