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Well how about that? I was in my local gun shop the other day, talking about the first handgun I bought the day I turned 21 -- a Model 28 Highway Patrolman with 4-inch barrel -- and my guy pulls one out that had just come in. Had to buy the thing, and now I am revisiting all sorts of old threads on the .357 "is not, is too" an adequate deer killer. If i do ever hunt deer with it, it will likely be with NOE's WFN GC 180-grain bullet with as wide a meplat as possible, and then I will get close first. There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t. – John Green, author | |||
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IMHO, the 357 magnum is at it's best with 158/160 grain flat points for deer. The added speed is a plus on deer. In the 70's I took a fair amount of wild hogs with the 357 and the Speer half jacket 160 grain semi wadcutter and it worked perfectly for me. _____________________________________________________ A 9mm may expand to a larger diameter, but a 45 ain't going to shrink Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened. - Winston Churchill | |||
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i can't add anything to this, as it is my exact feelings. 22s for practice, and 45lc for all around.. opinions vary band of bubbas and STC hunting Club Information on Ammoguide about the416AR, 458AR, 470AR, 500AR What is an AR round? Case Drawings 416-458-470AR and 500AR. 476AR, http://www.weaponsmith.com | |||
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I have not had any trouble killing deer, or anything else with a .357 Mag. I use a Lyman 358429 ahead of a good stiff charge of 2400 and do not recover the bullets. Yes, the .45 Colt is a better caliber, but the .357 Magnum beats a rock or a stick. If ignorance is bliss; there are some blissful sonofaguns around here. We know who you are, so no reason to point yourselves out. | |||
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If I could only have 1 handgun, for hunting, plinking, target, and defense it would be a 4" 357. If a handgun is not your primary hunting arm, the best handgun is likely the one you have with you. My primary field sidearm is a 3" heavy bbl custom Mod 19. Load with 4 semi jacketed 158 grn soft points and two snake shot. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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I owned one for a short while years ago but never warmed up to a .357. Plus it was THE most uncomfortably loud handgun I ever owned. Seems like no matter what handguns I've got I've always packed a single action .45 Colt as my first choice for anything. | |||
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It and the .454 give each other a run for the money in the loud department. If ignorance is bliss; there are some blissful sonofaguns around here. We know who you are, so no reason to point yourselves out. | |||
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If you want loud try a 22 JET sometime----that thing is vicious "The rule is perfect: in all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane." Mark Twain TANSTAAFL www.savannagems.com A unique way to own a piece of Africa. DSC Life NRA Life | |||
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The .357 is adequate for medium sized game although margin for error is skinnier than with the bigger stuff. Whatever a .357 does, in a hunting gun, a .44 or .45 or .41 does it better. Bullet placement - along with adequate bullet construction, penetration and velocity - is everything. What a .357 has over the bigger stuff is that more people can shoot it better than they can the bigger stuff thereby making placement surer. But someone who can shoot a bigger gun will kill better more often. Hanging around pistol clubs you'll see that people who can't shoot light .38s want a .44 magnum. Everyone wants a .44 magnum. A light .38 Special in the butt of the ear will bring about better results than a "white hot" .44 magnum load expended on the scenery. I've got a couple of old model .357 Blackhawks with 4 3/4" barrells (swapped out the 6 1/2" barrels) and I love them but for a hunting gun they would be better if they were .41 s, .44s or .45s........supposing handgun hunting was legal here. | |||
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I picked up a Taurus 44 mag from a guy just like that had to have a 44 mag couldn't hit broad side of a barn with it. I brought the 44 he brought a 9mm. | |||
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