which pistol to buy for deer hunting

Pdog

a 357 mag revolver or a 44 mag revolver which has a better range and knockdown power

fergusonmorse392

THE ANSWER IS 44 MAG. BUT WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT IS HOW WELL YOU CAN SHOOT THE GUN, SOME PEOPLE JUST CAN NOT HANDLE THE RECOIL & MUZZLE BLAST OF THE 44, TO LEARN TO SHOOT IT ACCURATE ENOUGH TO HUNT WITH. I WHICH CASE THE 357 IS THE TICKET, JUST KEEP YOUR SHOTS ARROUND THE 50 YARDS RANGE OR SO FOR GOOD CLEAN KILLS.

grizzclaw

I use a BlackHawk in 357 with a 6 1/2 inch barrel. I take short shots, and I'm more accurate with the 357. I used a 629 Classic for awhile, and I don't think that I was as consistant from shot to shot.

Thanks, Grizztribefans@sssnet.com

BOWWMAN

I have used both and prefer the single action super blackhawk in .44 mag.
you can start off with 44 specails and work up to heavier loads. With pleanty off practice say 300 rounds of hunting ammo you should be fine. Not to meantion the .357 doesn't meet the minimum in some states. And if you go with a blackhawk I would recomend a wolf trigger spring kit these are cheap and cut the pull in half.

BOWWMANhold hard and shoot strait!

idsman75

If the deer is within archery range, it's in plenty of range for a 6" barrelled .357 with a good hunting round. Shot placement is critical. I've never fired a .44 mag and really don't care to. I don't see myself ever having a need for one. However, I can get some very tight groups with my S&W 686 at what is commonly "archery range" all day long using just the iron sights.

SSG idsman75, U.S. ARMY

groundhog devastation

idsman, get yourself an xp-100 in 7mmBR!! put a holosight on it and load it with 120grV-Max's!! Do not put the red dot on the head if it's mountable!! Because after the shot it won't be mountable!! If it's meat you're after squeeze slow and watch the crumbling effect!! GHD

Shootist3006

I would go for a Blackhawk w/6&1/2" barrel in .41 Remington Magnum. Far and above the best handgun hunting combo. (No, I don't consider things like the XP100 or the TC as handguns, they are just deformed rifles that forgot to grow a stock )

Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem.Semper Fidelis

Piadea

The T/C Contender makes for an excellent deer gun. Because of the inerchangable barrels you can have just about any caliber you want. The 10' barrel increases velocity as well. For deer I use the 7-30 Waters but 41 or 44 mag will do the job as well. A lot of folks seem to have success with the 357 but it seems pretty light to me unless you confine your shots to close range, broadside only.

Tailgunner1954

If thecartridge choices in the Contender don't have enough ommph for ya, look at it's big brother the Encore

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Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.

gap1916

I also belive the .41 mag is the better choice. If you are looking at a auto the 10mm is a good choice. The .357 mag is a better all around hand gun but if all you want to do is deer hunt go with the .41mag. My 2 cents

JustC

you need to determine your recoil sensitivity level. Obviously, if you are a liitle sensitive to recoil, use the 357. If you have no problem with a 44mag, then it is a better choice due to the "brute force" factor. Try the desert eagle in 44mag, it feels like a 357mag with a downcharged load. They absorb huge amounts of the recoil and they are accurate as well. I have found the 44mag redhawks and blackhawks to be acceptable in the recoil dept and very accurate. Now, as has been mentioned, you may want to look at the TC contender and a barrel in the 223-243 range. With the 15" barrel, you will find them pleasant to shoot and plenty of harvesting power.

When in doubt...empty the magazine!!

binder

The trick as with most handguns is control. I have an 8 inch blue magnaported S & W model 29. I also have a 6 1/2 inch 629 and a 4 inch Taurus ported 44 mag. I took a very large wild bore with th 8 inch ported model in 1980 in Tenn. at 20 yards. Scared the Pee out of me. The best thing I will tell you as with any large caliber; find a load which you can control. Regular revolvers can be regripped easily while single action(western style) models take some getting used to.
While gunsmithing several years ago, I magna-ported and did a trigger job on a Ruger-SuperBlackhawk 44 for a guy. He liked to fire hot loads like the Remington load(1550 approx fps), but his grip wasn't as strong as he thought and the gun would whip up and almost hit him in the head, even with the porting.
Without the porting shot with a Ransom Pistol Rest, my 8-inch 29 rises up badly and very fast to about the 12 o'clock point. With the porting, recoil is reduced about 40% and only rises to the 9 o'clock position. I fire an old load load from Smith & Wesson ammo that is around 1250-1300 feet per second. Or if you hand load the Lyman book is a good place to start. A heavier front lug barrel and porting will greatly help on control.
Incidentally, it took 3 shots to drop the wild bore I got at 230 lbs.. I thought I was hot stuff, until I had that bore charging; thank god, the my aim was true, and no I didn't pee in my pants, but I'll tell you what, I could feel the hair stand up on the back of my neck.
A good choice is a ported 6" 44 mag. You can shoot it with 44 special loads, and right now there is a CCI Blazer load 44 special available from Natchez Shooters supply for $11.15-sale 50 per box and shipping . You cannot reload these rounds as they are aluminum cased, but for getting to know a 44, it is a good load.
Hoped I helped, Bill Binder