I don't think I have ever heard the debate of the .44 Special vs the .357 Magnum on whitetail deer. The .44 Special with good handloads and the right bullet will drop a deer. But what about a good 170 grain SWC moving at 1,300 fps from the .357? So which of these two is better?

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Vaya con Dios

I've hunted with both, and would use either tomorrow. But given a choice, and the ability to load what I want (which I have) if I had to choose one to use from now on I'd go with the .44.

But it's a tough choice to make, and it all comes down to the old slow/heavy vs. fast/light debate. Fact is, both work. For whitetails, I never had a need for anything heavier than a 158, and even a good 125 will work startlingly well on broadside shots of no more then 50 yards (which describes virtually 100% of the handgun shots I fire at deer). But the full-power .44 Special -- not talking near-magnum here, just a good 240 or 250 at around 1000 fps-- will bowl 'em over without a lot of fuss and bother, even when the angle of the shot is a bit iffy.

Right now I have a nice S&W 28-2 .357, and don't even own a .44. What I use most nowadays is a Uberti Flat Top Target in .45 Colt. Any difference between a 240 gr. .44 and a 255 gr. .45, both at around 1000 fps, has got to be largely imaginary.

Just my opinion, and anyone who opines otherwise doubtless has his own good reasons.

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Pisgah

With handloading , the 44 would be the way to go. The 357 will kill whitetail, but a hotter 44 special would do it with better authority.

I don't think there is much debate to it: bigger is better.

I use a .357 with 158 gr bullets pushed by 296, and it works fine on our 100lb SW does at "spitting distance". I don't think much of the 170gr lead load in a .357; if I need more than the 158gr, I want a bigger gun.

I recommend the .44 (preferably .44 mag) unless you are willing to take optimum shots at close range. I HATE having to track down crippled deer.

Back in my high-school and college days the only gun I owned was a late-50s version S&W M27 with a 6 1/2" barrel which my dad gave me for Christmas during my junior year. In the years that followed I shot four deer with it. My load at the time was a hard-cast Keith style 160gr. bullet ahead of a stout charge of 2400. None of my shots were long range or tricky, and none failed, all were one-shot kills with the critter not running very far. I think the 357 is adequate, but it isn't my first choice anymore. On the other hand, neither is the 44 Special. I'd say it's a toss-up.

My choice would be the .44 Special with a Hornady 240gr. XTP bullet, punches clear through and leaves an excellent blood trail. They don't go very far with a lung shot, the XTP delivers reliable expansion.

I recently got a deal on a bunch of 180 grain CastPerformance "heat treated" 357 bullets and am thinking of concocting a warm load that could be used for hunting. Conventional wisdom to the contrary, I like the idea of a hard-cast Keith style SWC for most handgun hunting purposes.

I agree, I like those 180gr Cast Performance bullets too. When pushed by a Max charge of Lil'Gun they are devastating. If you don't load you can buy them from Grizzly Cartridges, they are the same company.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

Somewhat off topic but an actual crime/case studdy:

Years ago country forest preserve police were moonlighting for German restaurants having Octoberfests with fresh game.

Those police found that to take the whitetails, all was needed was a salt lick, a good bright flashlight and a .38 revolver.

Those cops were all arrested, or at least reprimanded for having gotten
caught.

I have used a .357 with 158 gr bullets with good results on white tail and mule deer out to 50 yds. Model 19 6'' with Aimpoint.

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