Thinking of trying hunting with a handgun, specifically either .357, .41, or .44 Magnums. I feel like 50yds would be my maximum range, preferably less. I'm thinking that Federal Factory Loads, Jacketed Soft Points would be a good choice for either caliber. And, would be less meat damage. Any experienced thoughts on this choice of bullet? Not into reloading or casting. Thanks.
Hollow Point Vs. Soft Point
- Thread starter SBHRSSSSS
- Start date
2Late45
Single-Sixer
Better check your states hunting regs first. My state doesn't permit H.P. ammo except for varmints. For the handgun calibers you listed I prefer JSP's or heavy for caliber cast flat points.
^^always good advice^^
I've always leaned toward expansion over penetration (counter to many others) mostly because of when/how I hunt deer. Certainly a deer with a caliber sized hole(minimal expanding soft point) in & out of the ribcage is going to be a dead deer. The difficulty is how long/how far that deer stays mobile before it dies.
Hunting on snow cover allows a different point of view on this. Being a patient 'tracker' is another factor. Hunting on smaller tracts of private land or on heavily used public land is another.
I've killed a few deer with both 357 and 44 mags--all with HP bullets except one. That one was a 'very controlled expansion' 240 grain from a 44 mag carbine. Literally 'no expansion' but the deer only ran 100 yards and there was 4" of new snow. Had this been a week earlier with bare ground, the tracking job would have been slow and tedious at best.
Contender is a much more experience handgun hunter than me so probably has more/better advice.
I've always leaned toward expansion over penetration (counter to many others) mostly because of when/how I hunt deer. Certainly a deer with a caliber sized hole(minimal expanding soft point) in & out of the ribcage is going to be a dead deer. The difficulty is how long/how far that deer stays mobile before it dies.
Hunting on snow cover allows a different point of view on this. Being a patient 'tracker' is another factor. Hunting on smaller tracts of private land or on heavily used public land is another.
I've killed a few deer with both 357 and 44 mags--all with HP bullets except one. That one was a 'very controlled expansion' 240 grain from a 44 mag carbine. Literally 'no expansion' but the deer only ran 100 yards and there was 4" of new snow. Had this been a week earlier with bare ground, the tracking job would have been slow and tedious at best.
Contender is a much more experience handgun hunter than me so probably has more/better advice.
It really depends on bullet construction. A traditional bonded hollow point stays together but will still exit while hitting harder. Modern hollow points may not exit but make a bigger mess inside and usually stay together. You want a mess load XTP's in a 350 Legend or 450 Bushmaster. Shrapnel, Exit wounds, etc. The Bushmaster will actually pull the Lungs, Heart etc out the other side.
contender
Ruger Guru
Ok, first off,, you didn't mention the game animal,, but due to the caliber choices,, I'm going to assume like others,, the game will be deer.
And Hvymax ignored the obvious,, handgun,, not rifles,, and your choices of caliber.
BUT,, he did allow the info of Hornady XTP's & their affect on game.
You asked about JSP's or possibly HP's.
Hornady does offer their excellent XTP's in handgun ammo,,, if you can find it. If I were to be choosing a factory load,, that's what I'd give serious consideration to buying & using. It's a very well proven bullet choice in a handgun for deer.
And if I were to be selecting calibers from the ones you've mentioned,, my favorite would be the .41 Mag. The .357 is just fine for many,, but since you didn't list the state you'd be hunting,, the size of the deer could be a factor. A smaller, southern whitetail,, vs a big bodied mule deer or a Canadian whitetail,, provides a different level of challenge for a marginal hit. When hunting,,, especially with a handgun, you have a greater challenge to properly place a bullet. And bullet placement goes hand-in-hand with bullet selection. So,, to give an edge to a marginal bullet placement,, a nod to the .41 magnum is my choice. Nothing wrong with the .44 mag,, but it can have a bit more felt recoil to many,, and that can translate into a poorer bullet placement.
As a Hunter Safety Instructor,, I teach that all hunters should strive to provide the animal with a clean, one shot kill. Respect the animal.
And Hvymax ignored the obvious,, handgun,, not rifles,, and your choices of caliber.
BUT,, he did allow the info of Hornady XTP's & their affect on game.
You asked about JSP's or possibly HP's.
Hornady does offer their excellent XTP's in handgun ammo,,, if you can find it. If I were to be choosing a factory load,, that's what I'd give serious consideration to buying & using. It's a very well proven bullet choice in a handgun for deer.
And if I were to be selecting calibers from the ones you've mentioned,, my favorite would be the .41 Mag. The .357 is just fine for many,, but since you didn't list the state you'd be hunting,, the size of the deer could be a factor. A smaller, southern whitetail,, vs a big bodied mule deer or a Canadian whitetail,, provides a different level of challenge for a marginal hit. When hunting,,, especially with a handgun, you have a greater challenge to properly place a bullet. And bullet placement goes hand-in-hand with bullet selection. So,, to give an edge to a marginal bullet placement,, a nod to the .41 magnum is my choice. Nothing wrong with the .44 mag,, but it can have a bit more felt recoil to many,, and that can translate into a poorer bullet placement.
As a Hunter Safety Instructor,, I teach that all hunters should strive to provide the animal with a clean, one shot kill. Respect the animal.
My original comments were referring to handguns. I only mentioned that when loaded way past their design intentions handgun bullets will self destruct making an incredible mess. All of them provided humane results probably even moreso it's just how much mess do you want to make. With the classic broadside presentation a solid Heart/Lung shot with any of these will get the job done. JSP will give a solid pass through that some people like. Traditional basic Hollow points will hit harder while almost always exiting, XTP's etc will do the most damage internally and may or may not exit when fired from a normal revolver. My mention of the Rifles was to make the point that normal handgun bullets come apart when their design velocities are exceeded which could happen with a 460S&W or a carbine. Even the ones that pretty much empty the chest cavity would be humane.
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I’ve been hunting deer with a pistol for over 25 years now. I started out with a 357 magnum Colt trooper and ended up settling on the 44 magnum T/C Contender. I also used a 41 magnum, 45 long colt and 357 maximum in between them. I am here to tell you all of them will take a deer as long as you take your time and place your shot well. Know your limitations as a pistol shooter and the distance you can shoot accurately.
I have used both hollow points and soft points over the years. Deer are a soft skinned animal. Believe me when I tell you both will kill a deer easily. In my opinion this all depends on where you plan on hitting the deer. Some people believe in shoulder shots to anchor the deer and have less possibility of having to track your deer. In this case you will need more penetration to get through the shoulder to the vitals. I would recommend a soft point for this type of hunting. Others believe in placing your shot just behind the shoulder. Access to all the vitals without having to pass through any heavy shoulder bone. In this case I use hollow points. specifically the XTP 240 grain bullet.
you‘re going to have to find a round that shoots well out of your pistol. The good part of that is that it will get you more practice time. If no one has mentioned that, you will need a lot of practice to hunt with a pistol. All guns shoot bullets differently. If I had to make a recommendation it would have to be the Winchester white box ammo. For me, it has always been the most consistent and accurate out of the box ammo I’ve shot. Give it a try and see if it will work for you.
I have used both hollow points and soft points over the years. Deer are a soft skinned animal. Believe me when I tell you both will kill a deer easily. In my opinion this all depends on where you plan on hitting the deer. Some people believe in shoulder shots to anchor the deer and have less possibility of having to track your deer. In this case you will need more penetration to get through the shoulder to the vitals. I would recommend a soft point for this type of hunting. Others believe in placing your shot just behind the shoulder. Access to all the vitals without having to pass through any heavy shoulder bone. In this case I use hollow points. specifically the XTP 240 grain bullet.
you‘re going to have to find a round that shoots well out of your pistol. The good part of that is that it will get you more practice time. If no one has mentioned that, you will need a lot of practice to hunt with a pistol. All guns shoot bullets differently. If I had to make a recommendation it would have to be the Winchester white box ammo. For me, it has always been the most consistent and accurate out of the box ammo I’ve shot. Give it a try and see if it will work for you.
I have shot numerous deer with either a .41 mag or .44 mag, have used hard cast lead, hollow point , and jacketed soft point and all worked well if bullet placement is good. If using factory today I really like Hornady XTP bullets.
Thanks for the replies everyone! To fill in the blanks; I normally hunt with a rifle, a 7x57 Mauser (successfully taking bear, deer, and elk), and like the old 175 grain round nosed soft points. I also hunt with a .54 caliber traditional muzzleloader (usually elk, but, no success... yet), and have bowhunted with a traditional recurve (successfully for deer). I'm pretty old school. I live in Western Washington, and mainly hunt Blacktail Deer. Mostly Still Hunting. Ty's comment on making a clean, humane kill, is why I asked my question. I strongly agree and believe this. This is also why I consider 50yds to be my maximum range and closer is better. The reason for considering a handgun, besides the adventure, is a small place I go that has firearms restrictions, handguns being legal, along with shotguns or muzzleloaders. Just a nice place to hunt now and then, and the handgun would be nice to use. If I'm going to use one for deer, I want to use it right. Thanks again.
My "Anchor" shot is through the spine and heart. I usually have ravines available and find a place where they climb out and set up across from it. Perfect shot setup helps. It's way better than hoping they present a good angle.
vlavalle
Blackhawk
While my comment is not exactly in line with answering the original question in this thread (to use a ,357 Mag or a .41 mag or a .44 Mag for hunting), I do wish to point out that revolvers are NOT pistols. For those of you you have used the term 'pistol' always to maen a \handgun, this idea will be foreigbn to you and you will no doubt refute it.
But a pistol is a handgun that shoots the bullet from the barrel, as they did in the very olden days where every weapon was muzzle loaded, and there was no choice. Some dictionaries will say a pistol is a handgun in general, but this is not correct. And to prove my point here, ALL handgun manufacturers and all ammo manufactures never confuse these two, and revolvers are never within the category of pistols. They are both always in separate categories.
In fact, the ammo for these two types of handguns is almost exclusive, where revolver ammo is not shot in pistols and visa versa. Of course there are a few exceptions, such as the .45 ACP that can be shot in many .45 revolvers, the 9mm cartridge that can be shot in a SA revolvers which come with a 9mm cylinder, wand takes a cylinder swap, and the Desert Eagle pistols which are pistols made to shoot revolver ammo.
And to address the question placed in this thread, the .44 Mag has far more power than the .41 mag or the .357 Mag. I have a ballistics File I created, starting back in 2015, and it has over 3,500 entries, where each entry is a lonk to buy that ammo online, with its ballistics info include, and more. At any rate, the .357 Mag max's out at 907 ft. lbs. (PPU), the .41 mag at 1.150 ft. lbs. (Grizzly), and the .44 Mag at 1,533 ft. lbs. (buffalo Bore). So, from this you can see the relative power difference between all three calibers.
While I have not ever shot any deer with my .357 Ruger Blackhawk, I almost did once, but the cocking of the hammer scared off the deer (30 yards maybe). So, use a DA revolver, the Ruger Redhawk, which I believe comes in all three calibers. In addition, I have read elsewhere that hardcast (HC) bullets are the best for hunting big game!, and not to use hallow point. Of course, where you want to hit the animal may impact your bullet choice.
And my last point is about a comment in here about using the 10mm pistol for hunting, which to me is kind of a joke, AND probably just a biased comment since those that recommend it probably have one (and hence, they are biased), and most of them have probably never taken down big game with it. But at any rate, the max power of the 10mm is 728 ft. lbs. (Buffalo Bore and Grizzly), which is a far cry from the .357 Mag max. and of course from the other two even more powerful calibers.
My ballistics file is available to anyone who messages me and requests it. It is a PDF file, and it is free to all. I use it to buy the lowest cost ammo for my revolvers, and also when I want power or specialized bullets., or a certain brand, or... The bullet type is listed in each entry also. The file covers 35 handgun calibers, and 25 rifle ones also.
I'm pretty sure 10mm among others are more than adequate for the humane harvesting of Deer. Would I actively hunt Grizzly Bear with it? No but nobody clarified what was being hunted so I went with deer. I would categorize deer along the lines of people when it comes to firearm effectiveness. I started out with 45cal round balls ahead of a load of Pyrodex. I'm pretty sure most any 9mm would be more effective. Same with bow hunting. They can run a mile if spooked after a perfect Heart/Lung pass through. The more shock the better for "Anchoring" which comes from energy transfer. Hydrostatic shock can overwhelm a nervous system where a hole poked through the heart and lungs won't. Finding the balance of humane and not wrecking half of the meat and hide is the real question. I've settled on the 350 Legend for a rifle and I might decide to cheat with the 357sig which is a bottleneck round. The 450 Bushmaster is like using 3" 12ga slugs. OK if you don't mind spraying 10lbs of deer out the other side.
contender
Ruger Guru
vlavalle, is correct when it comes to terminology. Handgun, vs. pistol. But many folks just don't care. (Note; I did use the term correctly.)
As for the 350 Legend or the 450 Bushmaster,, in a handgun,, the OP specifically stated he didn't handload. Hence my comments about rifles vs handguns.
And as for the charts offered by vlavalle on ballistics, & energy. While computers, ballistics, charts, & such are helpful tools in making some educated selections, they aren't the end all be all.
Factory ammo can be all over the map. From light "target" loads,, to heavy for caliber specialty ammo like from Buffalo Bore for different purposes. The OP has asked a valid question, has stated his limitations, and the game. For overall uses he's mentioned,, I'd still choose the .41 Mag first,, with the .44 mag second.
But if handloads were to enter the discussion, there are already tons of opinions all over this Forum & elsewhere. And different calibers were not mentioned.
As for the 350 Legend or the 450 Bushmaster,, in a handgun,, the OP specifically stated he didn't handload. Hence my comments about rifles vs handguns.
And as for the charts offered by vlavalle on ballistics, & energy. While computers, ballistics, charts, & such are helpful tools in making some educated selections, they aren't the end all be all.
Factory ammo can be all over the map. From light "target" loads,, to heavy for caliber specialty ammo like from Buffalo Bore for different purposes. The OP has asked a valid question, has stated his limitations, and the game. For overall uses he's mentioned,, I'd still choose the .41 Mag first,, with the .44 mag second.
But if handloads were to enter the discussion, there are already tons of opinions all over this Forum & elsewhere. And different calibers were not mentioned.
vlavalle
Blackhawk
Yes, you are correct about "Factory ammo can be all over the map. From light "target" loads,, to heavy for caliber specialty ammo like from Buffalo Bore for different purposes." This is exactly what my ballistics file shows, showing just about all the variances within each caliber for already manufactured ammo.
Just for the 9mm ammo, this file has 398 entries, of which 194 are simply duplicates (same ammo sold by different retailers), resulkting in about 200 unique forms of 9mm ammo across the many manufacturers. And for the .357 Mag ammo, there are 230 entries, of which 123 are duplicates. For the .41 mag entries I have only 35, of which 10 are duplicates. For the .44 Mag there are 102 entries, with 27 duplicates. For the .45 ACP there are 539 entries (my biggest caliber number of entries), with 341 duplicates. For each caliber I calculate the averages of cost, and all the ballistics info, to get 'averages'. All the duplicate entries are excluded from these averages in order to make the averages reflect more realistic numbers. Keep in mind that each and every entry is a link to an online retailer where you can buy that specific ammo, and the ballistics and more info like price for each is also displayed in each of the entries. This file covers 35 handgun calibers and 25 rifle ones.
GunnyGene
Hawkeye
This doesn't apply to WA, but one other thing to keep in mind down here in the South is the distinct possibility of having to unexpectedly deal with 300+ lbs of pissed off wild hog while hiking to or from your deer stand. For that reason many deer hunters in these parts will carry 2 firearms - one loaded for deer (minimal meat damage), the other for hog (maximum stopping power). We also have a variety of venomous snakes, but they usually aren't a problem during deer season.
Hankus
Buckeye
As Gunny Gene says, hunting at my mother-in-law’s place in the country in GA I carry one of my .45C Rugers, alternating hog killer rounds with snake shot in addition to my trusty old Remington 788 in .308 while hunting. The Ruger stays on my hip pretty much the whole time I’m there due to hogs, rattlesnakes and (large reptiles). I picked up a Super Redhawk in .454 Casull last year and am mounting a scope on it soon to try my hand at hunting with it. I have two stands where the longest shot would be about 60 yards. Using the 788 with a scope isn’t really sporting.
vlavalle
Blackhawk
I am pleased to hear that you have and carry a Ruger 45LC. I have a Blackhawk .45 Convertible, and with a cylinder swap I can shoot .45 ACP rounds. But of course the .45 LC caliber is much more powerful. What model .45LC Ruger do you own? And do you do your own reloads, or do you buy already manufactured ammo? If you do the latter, I think you would like my ballistics file! In my previous post here I did not mention that in my ballistics file I have for .45 LC that there are 175 entries, with 80 duplicates, leaving 95 unique .45 Colt ammo entries. Among these entries there are many bullet choices as well.
Paul B
Hunter
A tale of two deer. When Nevada decided to allow handgun hunting for big game, deer only as they didn't allow hunting for elk, I went to one of my favvrite spots for sitting on a stand. I was in an either sex area which made it easier to score when only being allowed to hunt on one's day off. I had a reasonably new Ruger New Model Blackhawk and the ammo was Remington 240 gr. hollow points. I nice fat eating doe showed up about 30 yards out and I put a shot into the shoulder and she ran about 40 yards and dropped. Bullet hit where I aimed, punchhed through the shoulder blade with the jacket stuck in the bone. The bullet passed on through exiting just behind the off shoulder and kept on going. There was some meat damage.
The following year I was sitting in the same spot with the .44 mag. in hand but this time the gun was loaded with my home cast bullets, an RCBS version of Elmer Keith's bullet over 22. gr. of 2400. Again, a nice fat eating doe and I put a shot through the shoulder. The doe staggered for maybe 30 yards before falling and was dead by the time I reached her. The bullet had punched through the shoulder and through the off shoulder before exiting. Very little meat damages.
The next year I was back to using a rifle as I'd been invited to hunt on a ranch that had a lot of open area requiring shots a bit too long for my handgun skills.
Paul B.
The following year I was sitting in the same spot with the .44 mag. in hand but this time the gun was loaded with my home cast bullets, an RCBS version of Elmer Keith's bullet over 22. gr. of 2400. Again, a nice fat eating doe and I put a shot through the shoulder. The doe staggered for maybe 30 yards before falling and was dead by the time I reached her. The bullet had punched through the shoulder and through the off shoulder before exiting. Very little meat damages.
The next year I was back to using a rifle as I'd been invited to hunt on a ranch that had a lot of open area requiring shots a bit too long for my handgun skills.
Paul B.
I've now shot I believe five mid size for our area whitetail deer with a handgun. Three with a .357 6 inch security six one of those with
a 125 grain hollow point and two with 158 grain jacketed soft points. Shots all behind the shoulder with good hits at 30 to 40 or so yards.
Two went down got up a stumbled maybe 50 feet and the third ran maybe 100 feet.
Last two years shot two more with a .45 colt 300 grain Buffalo Bore Ruger load, one at 20-30 yards straight on looking at me aimed just below
the chin through his neck. The other through the front quarter at maybe 50 yards which is about my personal skill limit. Both of them
just flat dropped and didn't get up.
Point of this is deer ain't very tough and hit with about anything in the right place are dead pretty quick, don't believe bullet choice
within reason makes much difference.
a 125 grain hollow point and two with 158 grain jacketed soft points. Shots all behind the shoulder with good hits at 30 to 40 or so yards.
Two went down got up a stumbled maybe 50 feet and the third ran maybe 100 feet.
Last two years shot two more with a .45 colt 300 grain Buffalo Bore Ruger load, one at 20-30 yards straight on looking at me aimed just below
the chin through his neck. The other through the front quarter at maybe 50 yards which is about my personal skill limit. Both of them
just flat dropped and didn't get up.
Point of this is deer ain't very tough and hit with about anything in the right place are dead pretty quick, don't believe bullet choice
within reason makes much difference.
Good grief at some of these replies. 
nobody asked for an ethics lecture or a terminology report. The man just wanted to know about bullets.
My choice of bullet for handgun hunting is a cast swc. If I have to I'll use some form of factory soft point or maybe an xtp if I have one.
nobody asked for an ethics lecture or a terminology report. The man just wanted to know about bullets.My choice of bullet for handgun hunting is a cast swc. If I have to I'll use some form of factory soft point or maybe an xtp if I have one.
bisleyfan41
Blackhawk
Amen!Good grief at some of these replies.
My choice of bullet for handgun hunting is a cast swc. If I have to I'll use some form of factory soft point or maybe an xtp if I have one.
Deer aren't killed with correct terminology, ft/lbs, or ballistics files and charts. Nor by people who've never taken a deer with a handgun or the calibers listed.
I've taken deer with all of the above chamberings, with a variety of bullets. Similarly hit, there isn't a whole lot of difference. With factory ammo, I always prefer JHPs on short range whitetails. The WWB was mentioned and it's a solid choice, my preference in the 44 mag is the Fed American Eagle 240 jhps.
158s in the 357, 210s in the 41, and 240s in the 44. Hit 'em right, they die.
Contrary to some advice, don't choose the bigger caliber hoping for forgiveness of marginal hits. That's ridiculous. A 357 in the guts and a 44 in the exact same spot will have identical dismal results. Caliber doesn't make up for poor marksmanship.
