Having just picked up a 6" 686-1, I plan on getting a chest holster and carrying it deer hunting this fall. I'm mostly a treestand, woods hunter, use a scoped .30-06(but have taken bucks with shotgun slugs, compound bow, crossbow, both inline and traditional muzzleloaders), but have never handgun hunted. I would only opt for the pistol(iron sights) under optimal conditions inside of 25 yds.

What ammo should I use? I have some Winchester 158gr JSP, some PPU 158gr SJHP, some Hornady Leverevolution 140gr FTX. I would gladly buy some others to try. Would 180gr shoot to roughly the same POI as 158gr? Soft points vs Hollow points??? Is Buffalo Bore or Underwood a better option?

Your 158 grain Winchester’s are fine, as are any of those loads you list. No need to order boutique ammo if you have those in stock.

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No school like the old school.

See Paul Harrell's video on YouTube IRT comparing .357 and .44 magnums. He had a new 6" 686+ there. Federal's basic American Eagle .357 158 gr. JSP got an average of 1360-some fps and performed quite well on his "meat target". He opined that this combo would be a good deer load. Of course the .44 did better. That Federal load has been around for years (my wife got some from her station to try back in the mid-80's), and is widely available and not expensive.

The Winchester JSP is fine. Stay away from hollow points. They lack penetration.

John

The only deer I got with my 686 was about a 15yd. broadside shoulder hit, I used the hornady FTX bullet, deer ran 35yds before it went down. The 180gr. JSP should work well also. Shot placement is what counts the most.

Thx. So, keep the hollow points for defense/carry ammo, load the JSPs in the treestand. Between those Wn 158gr JSPs and the Hornady Leverevolution, what's "better," or is that splitting hairs?

Sight in with the ammunition you have. Use whatever gives you the best on target results. Other than quartering shots, your .357 should work extremely well for deer at 25 yds. or so. If I can just find a place to go hunting, my beloved 686-1 will be with me ... loaded w/ 158 gr. JSP ammo. Sincerely. bruce.

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In my younger days I loaded a 6" .357 Magnum with the
Speer SJLFP bullet for my large Nevada Bucks.

The lead FP tip with the jacket body never failed me on every deer that I shot under 90 yards. and all were one shot kills.

I never used a JHP on deer, so I have no info on that subject.
I never used a HP in my rifle loads, either.

Good hunting.

I shoot lead and my deer gun is a 10" TC Contender. It is currently sighted in for 105 grain semi-wadcutters and a full charge of SR4759. I use that because it is accurate and the Thompson is accurate. It wears a 2X Burris scope. That bullet goes where I want it to.
I'm working up a load with a 170 grain SWC. If it turns out to be accurate I might use it. I never take long shots.
I think I could make a good deer load out of a 148 grain wadcutter but I don't want some conservation officer asking me why I'm using "target" ammo on deer.

Go with 158gr JSP, up to 50 yds (if you can score your shots inside a 6" circle target, if not, you need to shoot closer!!!) the deer you shall be hunting with this load is up to 150pounds not more than this weight.
When you come back from your hunting let us know your experience!!! ....
Good hunting!!!
Best Wishes
RR

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"Off we go..."

Thx guys. Like I said, I'll have my .30-06 in hand. I'm not the type to sit all day, see a nice deer and not take a rifle shot because I want to use the pistol instead. I'm talking about under the RIGHT circumstances, ie a nice deer oblivious to me at 20 yds. It happens, it has happened. I always carry a pistol anyway, it's just now o have one I CAN use!

I'm gonna practice a bunch, from a sitting position. But if theres ANY doubt, .30-06 it is. I use jacketed soft points out of that gun(Hornady 180gr American Whitetail). They work.

Last season, I took a fat doe with a .50cal Hawken black powder rifle shooting patched roundball. She ran 30 yds and flopped, 42 yd shot, soft lead, complete pass thru. Shooting 80grains of 2F Goex, that produces about 650 ft/lbs at that range. I'm confident in the deer killing power of the .357 at 25 yds with a soft point.

One of my best friends killed the biggest buck of his hunting career so far with a .357. He had a .308 slung in his stand but had climbed down out if his tree stand to answer nature’s call. He wore a 4 inch Highway Patrolman on his belt—his old service revolver.

A 12 point walked out the side of a briar patch about 25-30 yards away. He put a 125 grain Federal hollow-point right at the base of his throat—the deer was facing him head on. Buck dropped in his tracks. Don’t underestimate 125 grain ammo in a .357.

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No school like the old school.

In my experience any 357 load that's suitable for 2 legged vermin will work just fine on deer in archery type distances, especially HPs. Deer are not that tough, one of my party made the mistake of using a Buffalo Bore 180gr hardcast on a whitetail that was very close. It just punched a perfect little 357 caliber hole into one side and out the other. Took a lot of tracking and another shot or two on the run to finish it off.

This is a concern with lead bullets. I keep some pure lead for my hunting loads - old roof flashing. (I can live with a little leading for this purpose.) So far I haven't had any problems but I do wish I had a hollow point mold.

The killing of deer is way overrated. This is a subject not unlike politics. To start with your run of the mill white tail deer isn’t that hard to kill. They ain’t Cape buffalo. You can find hundreds of articles on guys bragging about the killing power of some fancy bullet. Like a large meta plate 45/70. Are you kidding me? A 405gr slug .45 cal is a buffalo gun. Same in HV rifles for deer about only mistake would be hard bullets or FMJs. By same token they write articles about what a lightning deer killer a certain handgun is. The same cartridge in a carbine they call marginal. I’ve killed a truckload of deer. From 25/20 to 375H&H and many with shotgun slugs. I’ve only had 3 in over 55yrs of deer hunting that had to be tracked. 2 with slugs and one with 30/06. The cause? Bad hits. With 357 I would use 158 to 200 gr in SP or HP. Round nose lead would be worst choice. Shoot from practical distance and you will have no problems.

Get what ammo shoots the most accurate in Your gun. Go out to the range and shoot off hand at 25 yards. Shoot two cylinders worth and if all the hits are in a 6" group go for it. If not leave the pistol at home. I'm thinking about a humane kill, nothing else.

Before I knew better, (about 25 years ago) I loaded some warm 158 gr JHP for my 1894 Marlin (20" barrel). I shot a doe (open sights) at about 80 yards, and it surprised the heck out me when she dropped in her tracks!

Being that I could see her white belly, and she was struggling to get up & run, I chambered & fired again. The first bullet went high and being so close to the spine in stunned her, the second round was on target & decimated the heart.

While butcher the deer later I found both bullets. Which didn't impress me at all. I think if I had pulled off a good double lung on the first shot (think archery), she may have run into the thicket, but wouldn't have survived the shot.

If I decide to use that rifle on deer again, it will be a cast & gas checked wide nose bullet. You keep the handgun shot to no more than 50 yards & double lung the deer, you're good to go with what you have. Good luck, & be sure and share a photo this fall.

I've had good results with the .357 on deer from my 6" pre-27. I shoot the old 173 grain Keith bullet cast a little soft (wheelweight metal cut 50/50 with pure lead). If I were using factory ammo or jacketed bullets I would choose a 158 in soft point form. But as others have stated, deer are not particularly hard to kill, bullet placement being the most important variable.

Any factory 158gr should be good to go...........

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dd884
JMHO-YMMV

I've had very good results with the 140gr Hornady tipped bullets in both a 357 Max rifle, and 357 Mag 4" handgun. None of the four deer has made it more than ten yards when hit in the heart/lung area in my experience.

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Captain Dave Funk