.357 For White Tail Deer

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whichwatch

Blackhawk
Joined
Dec 18, 2012
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678
Anyone use, or have used a .357 for white tail deer? What bullet did you use and what were the results?
 

daveg.inkc

Hunter
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Nov 14, 2015
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Kansas City, MO
I have taken deer with my 6" Security Six. 158 gr XTP. For a close shot .357 works with a lung shot. I would rather use my .45 Blackhawk, tho. But, .357's will do the job.
 

contender

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Lake Lure NC USA
This type of discussion is common.

Can the .357 be used for deer hunting? Yes,,, it can.
Is it the best choice? That depends.
In general,,, other calibers will perform better, when a margin of error is desired.

A proper bullet design, combined with a proper bullet placement,, it can be a fine deer hunting tool.

But we are dealing with flesh, blood & bone. Combined with an animals desire to live, and all the dynamics that go along with that.
A deer has a "thin" skin when compared to many other critters. And the muscle mass is larger than some, and smaller than others. Combined with bone structure,, again, it's a subjective subject.

As a Hunter Safety Instructor,,, I teach "Ethics" as part of the class. I also teach a bit of anatomy so people know what is necessary to humanely kill a deer with one clean shot.
And I also say; "But NOTHING is a guarantee, even if you do it all right."

A .357 is often touted as a great SD caliber,, when combined with a 125 grn JHP or a JSP bullet. A human body is DIFFERENT than a deer.
Most folks agree on a few things necessary for a clean, one shot quick kill when hunting.
Complete penetration.
Quick death causing damage to internal organs.
And if bone is encountered when it's shot,, the bone must be broken to where the bullet can continue on the proper angle to cause such damage.

Basically we are asking a lot out of such a small item.

The angle of the bullet path. The ability of it to do all that's necessary w/o fail. And the reaction of the deer to it's injuries.

I prefer a good quality hand cast bullet for revolver hunting. I match the bullet to the game & what I hope will be a well placed shot. Ideally, the bullet is able to enter a spot where it doesn't encounter any bone (between ribs for example,) hits the lungs and heart, and exits with a big enough hole to allow for quick blood loss.
Ideally.
Now, reality. Often, a bone is hit as a bullet enters, and as it exits. Ribs, shoulder blade, leg bone all MAY be impacted during entry. And the same is true for when it exits.
The bullet needs to be hard enough to completely penetrate all that,, AND exit with a large enough hole.
And it's desirable to have the bullet nose soft enough to where it expands some,,, without coming apart, to cause more internal damage.

So, with all this,, it's fairly impossible to have one bullet to be a perfect choice for all variables. And that's not just for the .357.

A good medium hard cast solid, or even a good medium hard HP design is often a good compromise. But a good jacketed bullet of the SP design is also a good choice. Often, the JHP's seem to be more prone to separation & less penetration IN GENERAL,, so many shy away from those. Yet,, MANY deer have been killed with a good quality JHP bullet as well. It's often the bullet placement, combined with the choice of which JHP is used.

So what's the best answer?
A quality accurate bullet in your gun, with a proper bullet placement, can & will be a good deer killing combination. But only you, with the ethics to PASS on a shot, that might be marginal can determine what's "best." And that's not just in .357,, that's ALL calibers.
 

5of7

Hunter
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Sep 22, 2010
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SW. LOWER MICHIGAN
I developed a load for a GP100 in .357 Mg. W/6" bbl using 13 grs. AA9 a CCI 500 primer, and a 180 gr. XTP bullet loaded to an OAL of 1.575". Result was 1235 fps and with a 2X scope, it went into about 6" at 100 measured yds. This was sitting on the ground, back supported and my wrists resting on my knees.

I never hunted with it, I just developed the load to see what I could get out of a GP100.

For a few years, I had a 7-1/2" Redhawk in .357 and was able to get the same bullet up to 1495 fps by using 16.5 grs of AA9 and seating the bullet to an OAL of 1.705"

Either of those loads would kill a Whitetail deer if placed right.
 

daveg.inkc

Hunter
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Nov 14, 2015
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Kansas City, MO
The last deer taken with a handgun was my scoped.45 Blackhawk. A 255 Elmer K. coated slug from Missouri Bullets went thru both rib cages. A .357 will likely not have exit wound.
 
Joined
Jan 20, 2008
Messages
2,271
Location
Orange County, CA
I killed seven upstate NYS whitetail bucks (none of them large, all of them tasty) from a tree stand in heavy brush with a .357 handgun. First two with a 7 1/2" original Ruger Bisley, rest with a 6" half-lug GP. First three were with 180 gr Win. "deer loads," rest with Speer 158gr Gold Dots, all factory ctgs.

Couldn't tell the difference between the two loads in effectiveness--none of these bucks went more than 30 yards from where they were hit, and most of the shots were taken within 25 yards of the stand.

I had to shoot one of them twice because he was still trying to get up after he went down. Most of these bullets didn't exit, but they all expanded perfectly.
 
Joined
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missouri
All of the deer I've killed with a handgun have been at very close range, very controlled circumstances, and locations that favored following up if needed.
I'm NOT a "handgun hunter", the handgun was only used under near perfect conditions and all the animals fell within sight except for the medium sized doe shot with a 357 mag and hard cast bullet. Unscientific opinion says lack of frontal diameter was the culprit.
 
Joined
Jun 19, 2006
Messages
4,247
Location
Midwest Illinois
I have taken 1 deer with the 357. Frontal shot on a button buck at about 25 yards. I was using a 9" Encore shooting Barnes 140 grain factory loads. He ran about 20 yards and dropped.
I shoot 158 grain XTP handloads in my 6" Security Six, but have not shot anything but targets so far. It shoots a big one hole group at 50 yards using a red dot.
 

Biggfoot44

Blackhawk
Joined
Sep 6, 2009
Messages
829
Can a .357 Magnum be fatal to Bambi ? Of course .

Right up front , there is an aprox 50/50 split on projectile choice between hard cast non- expanding vs controlled expansion JHP .
 

JStacy

Blackhawk
Joined
May 6, 2016
Messages
503
Location
south Texas
I have killed several white tail does with a Red Hawk 7 1/2" 357 . I use my limited supply of Speer 146 JHP bullets and a heavy dose of H110 pushing the Speer bullet 1660 , chronograph reading not estimate . I shoot the deer in the head and all have dropped on the spot. All shots are under 50 yards from a deer stand with a sand bag on the window ledge. If conditions are not perfect I do not shoot , more deer will come along in South Texas to present the perfect shot. The load creates violent expansion on contact and the base of the bullet travels on through the deer's head. The same load out of a 10" Contender is slightly faster and exhibits dramatic expansion. I like to think of a pistol , like a 357, as a loud bow and treat it accordingly.
I shoot year around, I am retired, and keep my abilities as sharp as I can get them. Like Mobuck has said , the most important performance item about a bullet is proper placement. I have killed a couple of does with a Contender in 221 Fireball but not what I would recommend as a deer caliber !
 
Joined
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Southwest Washington
Not a white tail, but a young forked horn Blacktail. 20 yard high neck shot using a 4 5/8" Blackhawk with factory 158gr JHP ammo. Dead before it hit the ground.
I guess shot placement is the key as is with any firearm. For me if I am intentionally handgun hunting for deer it would be with a 44 magnum. That being said, a 357 would work as long as the operator places the shot well at a reasonable distance and has the appropriate ammo. JMO

Dave
 

buckeyeshooter

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Nov 8, 2004
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Ohio
I shot a doe at 8 feet with a 158 grain xtp over a maximum charge of 2400. Perfect lung shot. It ran 200 yards before falling.
 

protoolman

Service-Sixer
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Oct 15, 2001
Messages
2,553
Location
MN and MT
I've shot several deer with my GP 100 with 125 gr. Remington HPs not by choice, but that was my duty load and all were in the ditch hit by cars. Range was like 1-2 feet to the back of head. Not much real world hunting info there, sorry. But it did seem they are pretty easy to kill. For hunting I would prefer 158gr cast.
 

Onty

Single-Sixer
Joined
Dec 17, 2000
Messages
491
whichwatch said:
Anyone use, or have used a .357 for white tail deer? What bullet did you use and what were the results?
If I am starting from the scratch, I'll take a long, hard look at 41 Magnum. Just use right bullet. Some folks prefer HP, others some sort of LBT with FP. Although, standard weight for 41 magnum is considered 210-220 grains, if I want universal hunting bullet, I would go bit more, such one of those 250-265 like https://beartoothbullets.com/bulletselect/index.htm (look on left side for "41 Caliber"), or https://i2.wp.com/www.mp-molds.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/412-265WNFP_GC.png?fit=560%2C560&ssl=1 . Since we are talking about hunting bullets, I would prefer those with gas check, for better accuracy and to eliminate barrel leading.
 

GypsmJim

Single-Sixer
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Mar 19, 2011
Messages
373
Often discussed / debated subject. The bottom line is are you man enough and are you a good enough shot?

As a youngin, a 12 gauge slug was all that was legal. We could shoot out to about 100 yards and the deer dropped in his tracks. Of course, that was a responsible shot and we KNEW beforehand that the deer would suffer a fatal shot.

When handguns were made legal we started with a .45 Colt loaded with Ruger Only loads. One shot and he ran 50 yards before he dropped. Still responsible good shot placement.

Switched to a .357 mag. Still similar but he dropped now in 200 yards. Not good enough.

Switched to an Encore in 0.308 Winchester. Back to dropping in his tracks.

The bottom line is are you good enough, are you willing to wait for a close shot, and are ya feelin lucky?
 

GypsmJim

Single-Sixer
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Mar 19, 2011
Messages
373
buckeyeshooter said:
I shot a doe at 8 feet with a 158 grain xtp over a maximum charge of 2400. Perfect lung shot. It ran 200 yards before falling.
For me, that's not good enough. In fact, its a lost deer waiting to happen.

Before handguns were allowed, we shot 12 ga. shotgun slugs and the deer dropped in their tracks.

When we became handgun hunters we started out with a .45 Blackhawk with 255 grain jacketed bullets. The deer would run 50 yards with a direct kill shot at close range. Not good enough.

I now hunt with a TC Encore with a 0.308 Winchester barrel. They drop in their tracks again.

Are you a master handgunner? Do you believe in a humane kill? Are you a responsible hunter?

A .357 may have been OK for Elmer Keith, but are you of that caliber?
 

Dan in MI

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JStacy said:
I like to think of a pistol , like a 357, as a loud bow and treat it accordingly.

DING! DIng! Ding! We have a winner. I am a 99.97% Bow hunter (recurve too) My .03% non bowhunting is handgun. I take archery shots but up a to a little further. Put it the right spot and you're golden. Make sure your tracking skills are up to snuff.
 
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