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Has anyone taken deer with a .357 mag revolver?

TradBowGuy

TradBowGuy

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2021
Messages
647
Location
The "Southern End" of Lancaster County, PA
If you've taken a deer with a .357 mag REVOLVER ONLY, what distance was the shot, and what were the specs on the cartridge, either production or hand loaded.

I've read many stories from back in the day when the cartridge was first developed that it was an effective hunting round, but the .357 was loaded "hotter" than it is today, & I'm just wondering if anyone out there has done it with modern ammo.
 
I have deer hunted with mine several times but have never got a shot. I am zero help but am interested lol.

Mine is an old Ruger security six. It is the most accurate pistol that I have ever shot.
 
Following. I had a Colt Mk III Trooper in .357 mag with trigger work done and almost shot a doe with it from a loc on stand several years ago but ended up not taking the shot. That thing was a shooter too. So, I’m not much help either!!lol!! However what I do remember is getting rid of that gum which I now greatly regret. I do have a new model Blackhawk in the same chambering. It also has a 9mm cylinder for more cost effective practice with it. I mounted a Wygant base for a red dot but that’s as far as I’ve gotten. Hopefully this thread will encourage me to move forward this year.
 
I also have a Colt Mk III in .357 that I used to carry in a shoulder holster while float hunting in the canoe for offside shots. Unfortunately I have never taken a shot at a deer with it so no help there. It has killed many, many rabbits though shooting .38 spl out of it. It was my primary weapon for rabbits (my winter season hunting fix) when there was still a decent population to hunt around here. So much easier to carry and shoot in the thick cover with both hands free.

New guys I'd go hunting with would look at me at chuckle while they were loading shells into their shotguns or .22 rifles and I was slipping the pistol into a shoulder holster. I distinctly remember one time I went hunting with a buddy and a friend of his from work. We're at the tailgate getting our weapons out and the guy turns to me showing a .22 rifle. "I like to give them a chance." he says to me with a serious look on his face as if apologizing in advance for his misses. "Me too." I replied as I slipped the pistol into the shoulder holster. He thought I was joking until the end of the day and I had my limit of five and those guys were skunked. :tearsofjoy:

It was with this gun that I discovered that I'm way better at hitting moving targets than stationary ones while firing a pistol. I just have to get out of my own mind and let instinct take over. :tearsofjoy: I'm infamous with my buddies for completely missing sitting rabbits at 15ft only to roll them over on the second shot while they were running away. :tearsofjoy:

EDIT: FWIW I also blame this pistol (really my young, dumb self) for most of my hearing loss and tinnitus I suffer from today. I never wore and hearing protection hunting with it in those days and my ears would often ring for days afterwards. Just too headstrong as young man to accept that there would be long term consequences to my actions.
 
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I’ve never shot anything with a .357 but I did watch a buddy shoot a hog at about 20 yards with one. He was using self defense rounds instead of hunting ammo, but the bullet barely penetrated the shield of the hog and stopped in the front side shoulder.

We went and grabbed the dogs and put a couple rank cur dogs on him and caught him about 600 yards away, still very much alive and angry. That’s how we found out the lack of penetration.

Idk if it was the bullet or power, but I was blown away it only got 3-4” of penetration at such short range. To be fair, it was a pretty big boar hog and had a nasty shield on him but still.
 
Here's some federal ammo that I found that looks promising-180 gr, velocity is 1080 f.p.s. out of a 4 in. barrel, so it might even be a little faster out of my Blackhawk. I'm thinking that it might be a decent "25 yds and in" round...

www.federalpremium.com

Buy Power-Shok Handgun 357 Magnum Ammo | 180 Grain, 1080 FPS | Federal

Shopping for the Power-Shok Handgun, 357 Magnum, 180 Grain, Jacketed Hollow Point, 1080 fps - Learn more about the latest Power-Shok Handgun and other hunting or shooting gear at Federal Ammunition.
www.federalpremium.com www.federalpremium.com
 
I have not done it, but I would have zero concerns shooting a deer in the right spot (bow hunting shot selection, including range of 50 yards and in) with a heavy for caliber +p 357 in with a slug designed to not blow apart and dump energy. I'd probably go pointed soft point or hard cast/wad cutter. If I ever take up handgun hunting, I would get a Ruger in 357.
 
I've killed a lot of groundhogs with my Ruger GP-100 .357 Mag. with a 6" barrel. All shots were inside 40 yards with my own reloads, which are very accurate. That being said, I would trust my Satori recurve over my GP-100, for the killing power on whitetails. I'm not saying that the GP-100 won't kill a deer, but if I'm going to hunt deer with a handgun, I'd rather do it with a 44 Mag.

Either caliber are capable of killing whitetails with proper shot placement....at reasonable distances. ;)
 
I've taken a couple bucks with my S&W 686. 1st was with 158 gr black talon (which I dont believe are made anymore) and 2nd was with 158 gr hydro shok,which I still use now. Both were about 40-50 yards out.

1st was an 8 pntr- 1st shot hit high, close enough to backbone that it shut down his hind legs and I had to take a 2nd quartering away shot that finished him.

2nd was a 6 pntr that came into 50 yrds and froze facing me. I took the frontal shot top of heart, he ran almost straight toward me and past but the dropped just 30 yds past.
 
When I was younger and a bit dumber I shot a doe at 118 yards with a Taurus 6” .357 with a 2xscope. The only think I will add is that is was off the top of straw bails so the the rest was solid. I thought speed was the answer so I loaded up a sierra 125 gr with a max load of H110. It was smoking along pretty good. It was a double lung hit and the she went about 60 yards, blood trail was under whelming. So, it can be done. I would now use something in the 180 gr range and likely limit to 75 yards and under.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
boyne bowhunter said:
I also have a Colt Mk III in .357 that I used to carry in a shoulder holster while float hunting in the canoe for offside shots. Unfortunately I have never taken a shot at a deer with it so no help there. It has killed many, many rabbits though shooting .38 spl out of it. It was my primary weapon for rabbits (my winter season hunting fix) when there was still a decent population to hunt around here. So much easier to carry and shoot in the thick cover with both hands free.

New guys I'd go hunting with would look at me at chuckle while they were loading shells into their shotguns or .22 rifles and I was slipping the pistol into a shoulder holster. I distinctly remember one time I went hunting with a buddy and a friend of his from work. We're at the tailgate getting our weapons out and the guy turns to me showing a .22 rifle. "I like to give them a chance." he says to me with a serious look on his face as if apologizing in advance for his misses. "Me too." I replied as I slipped the pistol into the shoulder holster. He thought I was joking until the end of the day and I had my limit of five and those guys were skunked. :tearsofjoy:

It was with this gun that I discovered that I'm way better at hitting moving targets than stationary ones while firing a pistol. I just have to get out of my own mind and let instinct take over. :tearsofjoy: I'm infamous with my buddies for completely missing sitting rabbits at 15ft only to roll them over on the second shot while they were running away. :tearsofjoy:

EDIT: FWIW I also blame this pistol (really my young, dumb self) for most of my hearing loss and tinnitus I suffer from today. I never wore and hearing protection hunting with it in those days and my ears would often ring for days afterwards. Just too headstrong as young man to accept that there would be long term consequences to my actions.
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I have tinnitus from pistol shooting too and it sucks. I never truly have quiet anymore. Don’t think about it, it’ll drive you batty…….
 
I want to get a .41 magnum,!I think it’s the ideal handgun deer chambering.
 
Sunshine said:
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeereeeeeee

Huh?
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I've been wearing 3M Pelotor active noise cancelling earplugs for the last 3 rifle seasons. They work, and I'll never not use them now. I chose those instead of the over ear style because I wanted a slimmer profile and I hoped the in ear ones would preserve the directionality/depth perception of usual hearing. I think it does a good job. I did a deep dive when I bought these, and the 3M seemed to be the most reliable. I didn't want any extra features (like synching to the phone for calls or music) because that's just more stuff to break on it.
 
Not to keep derailing this thread but it turns out young Ted on THP already has severe hearing loss from gunfire. It was on one of their recent turkey episodes. They were cutting up on him pretty good with it too.

I’m blessed I can still hear turkeys gobble pretty good but leaf walk not so much. And my wife and kids in a noisy restaurant? Forget it!
 
woodsdog2 said:
I have tinnitus from pistol shooting too and it sucks. I never truly have quiet anymore. Don’t think about it, it’ll drive you batty…….
Click to expand...
About 5 years ago during turkey season, we kept getting tons of pictures of yotes in daylight, so when I went out turkey hunting to took my 460 S&W mag along in case one was a far shot.

Wouldn't you know, during the 4th or 5th time out one of the turds snuck into my decoy setup, but he realized quick something was wrong and turned around to get outta there. I pulled out the gun quick as I could and basically hail married at him. Totally forgot to throw on muffs.

Absolutely no question I sustained enormous hearing damage with that single shot. It was like someone smacked both my ears with a 2x4.
 
I have a lot of hearing loss from gunfire. Growing up we rarely used hearing protection. Some things I can hear really well, others not so much. For me to hear a turkey spitting and drumming it has to basically be in my lap. I also can't hear my wife when she asks me to do chores around the house....
 
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