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.357 for hunting?
turkeyhunter36089
Member Posts: 193 ✭✭✭
I am thinking of taking up hunting with a handgun, and right now the biggest revolver I own is a .357 magnum with a 5" barrel. Is this big enough for whitetail deer, and if so, what size bullet would be best and what would be the effective range of this gun.
Comments
I would stick to under 50 yd shots, and use 158 gr soft points.
as with all calibers on the small side for your game, shot selection and bullets choice will determine your success
also a good reason to buy a nice Super balckhawk in .44 also! or an encore pistol in 30-30
and practice!!!
We have the same 'wimpy' dear as in N. Florida. I hunt iron sights and in brush, so we are under 50 yard shots. I do hunt only with the longer barrels of a minimum of 7". The longer sight radius helps me, and every inch of barrel is a help for burning heavy charges of powder.
Using softpoint and gas checked lead of 150gr and up did well for heart/lung shots. I did not have any collapse immediately, but trailed less than 25yds. I did recover two hollow points from entrails that had entered from the front quarter of the chest but did not expand. If I recall, the load was about 17gr IMR4227 (compressed), but check your load tables. The failure may have been the bullet, because the charge was hot enough.
If you don't hand load, lean towards the hottest and heaviest you find that you can shoot well. The shorter the barrel, the less 'slack' you can have in your load. It has to fully develop in that 5", not impossible, but a condition that may take a bit of trial and error to find.
A 5" hunting gun isn't found as often as the longer barrels. SO you will have to be a better HUNTER to keep your shots as close as possible, and hit the most vulnerable kill zones.
BEST OF LUCK, PATIENCE, AND BULLET PLACEMENT
ENJOY !
I hunt exclusively with handguns but I use mostly 41 mags. I am comfortable on deer sized animals out to 100 yds or a little more, but I am shooting a 210 gr XTP from a scope sighted FA revolver @ about 1600 fps. I might suggest that you consider a dot sight on your revolver if your ranges are to materially exceed 50 yds. They are easy to use and much more precise than open sights for most of us. Otherwise, practice, practice, practice, and then practice some more.
Good luck and good hunting.
Jon
Practise and when you can hit a coffee cup every time at 50 yards, you are ready to go. Place your shot well and you will do fine.
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quote:Originally posted by turkeyhunter36089
Thanks for the info. I will be in south Alabama, so nothing over 220 lbs live weight.