revolvers vs deer

[xhodzax]

looking to buy .357 magnum or .44 magnum

anyone using this ?
pros-cons
good-bad

never hunted with pistols for anything so this will be something new

any info would be appreciated
thanks

[LePetomane]

Pros:
Bragging rights
Cons:
Loss of accuracy at distances
A scope on a handgun is difficult for me to use.

I've taken one deer with a handgun. A.357 is enough.

[xhodzax]

that is what i am leaning towards
no scopes for me
where i hunt 35-40 yards max shot
got kind of bored with the shotgun so i want to try handguns.

[crbutler]

I don't know about the "loss of accuracy" bit.

I have a S&W .41 mag that shoots right at 1" at 100 yards (rested, and with a scope) and a Freedom Arms .454 casull that will do the same, but I have trouble with doing that as the recoil and the spinning grip single action style grip bugs me. Both are much better than my slug shotgun (which is about 2" at 100)...

Without a scope, it depends on you as far as how accurate you can be, but for 40 yards maximum distance, you should be good to go there. The handgun will make it harder to get a shot as the amount of movement is more noticeable, it seems like it is more noticeable to game than even a bow. For me, a scoped handgun is quite slow to get a good sight picture as well; irons are quite a bit faster, but quite a bit less precise, at least for me.

The only real issue with using a pistol (especially a .357) is going to be if you hunt public land or are close to other folks. I guy I work with lost a nice buck to this issue- these guns don't drop deer all that quickly, and they will run a bit, even with a nice lung shot. If you are hunting around others, they will likely put a bullet/slug in your deer and claim it themselves. If you are in a place where this doesn't matter, you will likely need to track a bit, and the blood trails are much less than a shotgun slug with an equivalent hit.

[BigDog58]

FWIW I have a rather nice 12pt hamging on my wall that succumed to lead poisoning. The poison was delivered by a Ruger Super Redhawk in 44 Mag 9.5" barrel. I did use a Leupold 2X Handgun scope. He was dropped at 17 yds. Unfortunately for me, this gun was stolen about 4 yrs ago.

If you hunt heavy cover I would not hesitate to use the 44 Mag. As for the .357, I suggest you contact OldmanFCSA as I'm fairly certain he hunts deer with a .357 Mag and can give you excellent advice

[CashFan]

I hunted this year for the first time in 10 yrs with a Ruger Super Blackawk 44 Mag with iron sights and a 7 1/2 barrel. I missed two, and hit two. One was 40 yards out and dropped instantly. The other was about 25 yards out and ran about 100ft. Both were shots to heart with 240gr hollow points.

I had iron sights with white fingernail polish on them to make them more visible in low light and it paid off. Don't think I could have made the shots without the dots. Cross hairs on a scope would have been hard to see as well in low light conditions. A red dot or holographic would probably be the way to go for a scope.

Compared to shooting a deer with a shotgun, this was way more exciting and there is no comparison. I would not go again with a shotgun.

[OldmanFCSA]

357Magnum choice will improve your stalking and shot placement skills.
Its like bow-hunting. Find a perfect spot, practice, practice, practice, and stop the "buck-fever". Think - don't shake!
Use a new 357Mag casing, Winchester Magnum Small Pistol Primers, Winchester 296 powder, and a Hornady 180 grain XTP bullet.
A very healthy charge of powder is recommended, but only if using a strong revolver with a minimum of 6" barrel. Then PRACTICE with that loading until you can place it where needed every time at every range. NO EXCUSES ALLOWED = PRACTICE.
I use a stainless steel open-sighted Ruger 6"Heavy GP100 now, and it works great. 2X
But preferred my Dan Wesson 357Maximum and with a 180 XTP loaded specially for it. But ex-wife sold it without my knowledge years ago.