Hi all,

As I am perusing the deer hunting handout from this past season, I noticed that there is no minimum handgun barrel length for taking deer. I know many states have a minimum of 4" for barrel lengths. In your opinion , what is the shortest length barrel and caliber you would feel would be appropriate for taking deer at a close range (within 30 yards)?

If you can reliably shoot a well placed 4 inch group at 30 yards, offhand, with a three inch barrel .357, I would consider that appropriate.

You don't have to shoot them in MN. Just drive down the road. They are laying all over the place lately.

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I like Ike.

Hard to know which is worse, the deer or the mayflies.

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Not in jail.

I Michigan now the "threefifty chevy magnum" is the caliber of choice. I have used my 6" Model 19 on three occasions. Never more than 25 yards, 158gr soft point. All one shot kills. I carry a rifle, or shotgun in the southern half, just in case a close shot does not present itself.

I've shot a few with a 6" barreled Ruger Blawkhawk 41 Magnum. It worked for me.

In Illinois the law says - Centerfire revolvers or centerfire single-shot handguns of .30 caliber or larger with a minimum barrel length of 4 inches.

Edit - Hunting

If you're specifically hunting deer, I'd take a six-inch barrel. If you might just stumble on a chance to kill one while in the woods, a four-inch barrel is okay. I've seen posts by men who killed deer with them. One photo of a deer's heart pierced at 15 yards by a 115 grain 9mm JHP from a Browning Hi-Power was graphic evidence of its deadliness. A .357 is hotter.


I'm sure a three-inch barrel would work at close range, but the gun is usually harder to shoot well, esp if a J-frame.


A four-inch barrel gives higher velocity and is easier to hit with.


The six-inch guns with full lug barrels are a bit muzzle heavy for me. I like the M-27 and M-28 with six-inch barrels, or the former half lug six-inch Ruger GP-100.


But I feel confident that I can kill a deer to at least 50 yards with my four-inch .357's. Because it's so powerful and so easy to shoot well, I especially like the Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum as a hunting revolver. But you asked about .357's, and they make better all-round guns.


I do prefer stainless guns for real use in the outdoors.

Got one with my Nissan Frontier just last weekend

In Ohio we have 5" min. That is a good length but not many
pistols have 5" barrels. I have 5-through 83/8" guns. I am most
comfortable with 6". I guess if you are sitting in a stand it doesn't
matter as long as you can shoot it well. We hunt by stalking /
still hunting through the woods. Iron sights. 6" seems ideal for
the different type of shots you will encounter. Most shots are
40yds or under. I won't take a shot over 60yds. Most of these
deer will be on the run, so we like a 41mg, 44mg or Sp, and
45Colt. The 357 doesn't have the hammer on running deer of
the big bores. So it depends on how you are going to hunt.
Setting in a stand with a scoped 357 will kill them just as dead
as a 44. I shot my 1st Ohio handgun deer with a 83/8-m57, the
second with 6"-m19. Was a good hit through the lungs, but took
a couple hrs. to track it.

Here in Illinois I use a 5oo mag 8&3/8" barrel and use Hornady 500gn. jacketed soft points.With an EOtech as optics I can group quite well at 60yards.It's always a one shot,clean and quick kill which I demand of myself.The balistics are almost the same as my 12gauge 2&3/4" 1&1/4oz. Lightfield sabot slugs with a 24" rifled barrel.

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Handgunhunter

Other than barrel length, what restrictions do you have in Ohio?

In Ohio the minimum cal is .38 in pistol and rifle. I don't like
to stick my neck out futher than that. They also have a list of
legal cartridges. They law down here resembles a game of Simon
Says.They were suppose to do away with list and just make it
.38 min with straight case, same as rifle. The DNR has done a
lousy job of informing public of the regs. I guess best way is to
get on their sight. The new laws should be out soon for coming
season.

OK, thanks. I have seen several threads about the new rifle rules pertaining to straight wall rifle cartridges, so suspected it was equally twisty.

I'm sure the .357 is used every year but I've never seen anyone use one or even see anyone at the range shooting one with plans to take it deer hunting.
.44 mag .454 and .500 S&W are the only ones I've ever seen used.

I personally carry a 6 inch 629 for deer in Nebraska... but deer vary quite a bit in size across this great country... pheasant hunting with some gentlemen from the deep south thought the small whitetail doe was an elk when it hopped up near them in the tall grass... the farther north the bigger they get... over 200 pounds are not uncommon here... they hunted them with dogs down south and said 125 pounds was huge for them...

This thread made me curious about the handgun requirements to hunt deer here in Tennessee.

IIRC, .38cal and 4inch barrel length used to be the minimum.....not anymore apparently. I checked the current regulations and now there is "no" minimum barrel length and the caliber must be a centerfire "greater than" .25cal.

Muzzleloading firearms (rifle and handgun) must be .36cal or larger.....no barrel length requirement shown.

I've not hunted deer with a handgun so I haven't checked the regulations in quite awhile.....I don't have a clue as to when they last changed.

Don

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Laus Deo! <><

I went deer hunting in Minnesota with my uncle once, This was shortly after I returned from Vietnam, I was more scared in MN, every time a deer popped out of the thicket, shots came whizzing by from every direction, I almost did a low crawl back to the truck to get out of there.

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Minimize the variables

I would have preferred a larger caliber, but it was the best I had at the time. I would "qualify" myself in the fall with a paper plate at 50 yds. I felt that the distance was the limit of the cartridge, and the size of a deer's vital area. 5/6 in the plate standing, and I felt I was good to go. Never had a shot anywhere near the far, and used a rifle or shotgun if I could. Once the revolver was the only thing I could put on target after the deer snuck up on me from behind. That was a quick shot of about 20 feet thru the chest. Found the bullet against the diaphragm fully expanded.

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Hipcocked & Locked