Blackhawk For Deer and Hogs

I hunt the low country of SC where the forest is more of a swamp and looks more like a jungle than a forest. I am looking at getting a Blackhawk in .357 or a Super Blackhawk in .44 mag. for whitetail and hogs. The shots will be at very close range. Less than 50 yards.

I have not killed a deer or hog with a handgun before and have read a lot about whether a .357 is adequate for deer. It seems there is no concern for close broadside shots, but if you need a blood trail a .44 mag is the way to go. My question is whether that would be true with something like the Buffalo Bore 180 gr. hard cast loads.

I would like to know if I don't make a perfect broadside shot that I will still get enough penetration for a good blood trail, even if I took a shoulder shot. I don't see why a .357 diameter slug weighing 180 grains and going over 1,000 fps would not do that.

Any thoughts? Probably should get both, but that is not in the cards.

Welcome to the Forum!
Go over to the "Hunting" section here. There is a similar post there that may help a lot. Short answer,,, get the 44 mag. But go & read that recent posting.

Thanks, sorry I put it in the wrong forum.

Many jacketed bullets loaded near max will over expand and fail to exit the animal leaving little blood trail. Heavy for caliber cast bullets most often give complete penetration on deer sized game and a better blood trail.

For close shots like you describe, a 45 Colt or 41 Mag will do, without all the recoil of the 44 Mag.

It sounds like you are depending on factory ammunition.
A couple of the factory 357 ammo will be adequate whereas most of the factory 44 ammo is going to be appreciable in doing the job.
How readily available is this 357 ammo compared to the 44 ammo?

While the .357 with appropriate loads in the hands of a good shot will certainly do the job well, the .44 will do it better -- and if you are a handloader, the .45 Colt, my choice, will do it betterer! :wink:

I live in the SC upcountry, and some of my best hunting spots are almost as thick as yours. My .45 Bisley with a red dot scope is simply THE tool for the job. Of course, a .44 will do... :wink:

The 357 will work but, if you are buy a new gun, you mays as well get something bigger. At close quarters, as you are talking about, you would like to let the air out of them, as fast as possible. Again at close quarters as you re talking, you don't need a magnum. That opens up a lot of options, 357, 44 special,44 magnum,45 colt, 454, 10 mm. As long as you don't need the magnum power, find something you like to shoot without getting beat up. If you don't reload, start. The 45 colt is a very flexible cartridge if you reload. The 44 special is a sweet shooter also. If you think you ever need the magnum power and you reload, the 45 will have you covered. The 45 sucks the air out fast with that big diameter bullet.

Go for the middle. .41 Mag. Great hunting gun with the right ammo. See this: https://underwoodammo.com/product-category/pistol-ammunition/ . I've done business with Underwood several times. Great company, great ammo, fast delivery.


Caliber: 41 Magnum
Bullet Weight: 230 Grains
Bullet Style: Hard Cast Keith 21 BHN
Case Type: Brass

Ballistics Information:

Muzzle Velocity: 1450 fps
Muzzle Energy: 1074 ft. lbs.

41, 45, 44, any will drop a deer at 900-1000 fps, without beating up your hand, no need for all that velocity and recoil.

Thanks guys, I do reload but have not reloaded for hunting with a handgun. I tend to stay with plated bullets in handguns but maybe it is time to learn how to reload hard cast. The idea of a .41 mag or a 45 Colt is intriguing. I need to look at my loading manuals and think about this.

I guided for hogs while in grad school. I consistently found that I had to follow a blood trail into the brush when my clients used a 357. I personally hit one at close range (5 shots, <10 ft, 180 gr from a 4" GP100) and it turned to charge me when my buddy dropped it with my rifle. I switched to a 45 Colt or a 41 mag, Ruger Blackhawk). The 45 with heavier bullets left a blood trail (if I ever needed one=it dropped them like lightning) and the 41 penetrated better on big hogs. Forty-four mag hollow points flattened on frontal shots on the skull. I guided on over 200 hogs and most dropped to rifles with no problem, if a quality bullet was used.

I have shot several deer with the .357 using a 180 grain WFNGC cast bullet at about 1350fps out of a 6.5" Blackhawk. Every one put 2 holes in each deer, even when I hit the shoulder. I always try to get one shoulder or the other in addition to both lungs. They run, but not far at all. Full disclosure, all my shots have been inside 40 yds, most inside 20, as it's pretty thick where I hunt. The largest deer was around 160# dressed. I have zero experience on hogs. But I really like hunting with the .357, low recoil even with the heaviest of loads.

veeman said:

41, 45, 44, any will drop a deer at 900-1000 fps, without beating up your hand, no need for all that velocity and recoil.

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Sound Wisdom !!

I am very comfortable with heavy LBT type hardcast bullets on deer with the .357 at deep woods ranges. For years 180s killed consistently for me from a tree stand in upstate NYS with a 7 1/2" Bisley and later a 6" GP. None of the deer was huge but none moved far enough to need a blood trail to find them. Most bullets exited and would have left a trail, including the 158 gr Gold Dots I started with.

But hogs are a different critter, and some of them get huge. Would you want to pass on a giant hog because you didn't trust your handgun to either knock him down or bleed him out? And then get to chase him into the pucker brush? As much as I love and respect the .357, I'd be tempted to get something even more potent....

Get a 44 Magnum and you're all set.... if you do your part!

I really liked the idea of a 45 Colt, but in the end I ordered a 7.5" Super Blackhawk in .44 Mag.

Use WFN hard cast bullets that start with a "4", and they'll leave a good trail and penetrate well.

sjs said:

I really liked the idea of a 45 Colt, but in the end I ordered a 7.5" Super Blackhawk in .44 Mag.

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You made a good choice my friend. I love the .45 Colt and own a coupld dozen of them but the .44 Mag. Is a winner too. I have a bakers dozen + of them also.
The .44 is probably easier to find hunting ammo for locally if you don't reload. No Deer could tell the difference between them.

Thanks guys. Are the ruger super blackhawks known for consistent cylinder and throat dimensions? I would like to try hard cast bullets but I can't buy them locally and so I order bullets in bulk to take advantage of free shipping. I would hate to end up with a large number of cast bullets of the wrong diameter and have a leading problem.